Morphological, Histochemical and Biochemical Features of Cultivated Rhodiola rosea (Altai Mountains Ecotype).

The study analyzed the content and localization of phenolic compounds, in particular phenylpropanoids, of Rodiola rosea plants of Altai Mountains ecotype during the introduction period of 2-4 years in the conditions of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. The plant material for the introduction experiment was obtained by in vitro method. HPLC was used to identify 11 phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, rosarin, rosavin, rosin, cinnamyl alcohol, rhodiosin, rhodionin, and kaempferol. The highest content of phenylpropenoids was found in rhizomes of the 4-year-old R. rosea plants: 1.02% rosarin, 2.64% rosavin, 1.05% rosin, 3.39% cinnamyl alcohol. Analysis of the phenylpropanoid profile showed that the predominant component in all the studied samples was cinnamyl alcohol (up to 58%). Histochemical studies identified phenolic substances in the rhizomes and roots of R. rosea, which are localized in parenchymal and vascular tissues. It was revealed that the total rhizome biomass exceeded that of the root, and by the 4th year of introduction, it was approximately 2-fold greater in dry weight. The study showed high biosynthetic potential and biological productivity of the studied R. rosea ecotype upon introduction.

Evaluation of the Gastroprotective Effect of the Flavonoid Complex from Lychnis chalcedonica L. on the Models of Experimental Ulcerogenesis.

Using rat and mouse models of neurogenic, ethanol-induced, and indometacin-induced damage to the gastric mucosa we demonstrated that course preventive treatment with flavonoid complex from aerial parts of Lychnis chalcedonica L. increased the resistance of gastric mucosa to ulcerogenic factors of different etiology. The gastroprotective effect of the phytocomplex in a dose range of 16-1600 µg/kg was comparable with that of the reference drug plantaglucide and was superior to that of the reference drugs eleutherococcus extract and methyluracil in the therapeutic doses. The antiulcerogenic activity of Lychnis chalcedonica flavonoid complex considerably exceeded activity of Lychnis chalcedonica L. extract demonstrated in our previous experiments.

Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of the Complex of Flavonoids from Lychnis chalcedonica L.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the complex of flavonoids from Lychnis chalcedonica L. were studied in the models of acute aseptic inflammation induced by carrageenan, histamine, and serotonin and acetic acid-induced painful chemical stimulation. It is demonstrated that course treatment with flavonoids derived from Lychnis chalcedonica L. produced a stable pharmacological effect comparable with that of the reference anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac.

Brattleboro Rats as the Model of Blood Hyperviscosity Syndrome for Testing Substances with Hemorheological Activity.

Hyperviscosity syndrome was described in Brattleboro rats. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of Brattleboro rats using, as a test system for the study of agents with hemorheological activity. Under conditions of this model of high blood viscosity syndrome in Brattleboro rats, Lychnis chalcedonica L. extract (150 mg/kg) administered intragastrically for 10 days exhibited hemorheological activity by modulating macro- (plasma viscosity, fibrinogen concentration) and microrheological (erythrocyte aggregation and deformability parameters. Hence, Brattleboro rats are an adequate model of hyperviscosity syndrome that can be used for search and testing of substances with hemorheological activity.

Antiulcer activity of extracts of ecdysteroid-containing plants of genera Lychnis and Silene of the Caryophyllaceae family.

We studied antiulcer activity of the extracts of ecdysteroid-containing plants of the Caryophyllaceae family: Lychnis chalcedonica L., Silene viridiflora L.Sp.Pl., and Silene frivaldszkyana Hampe. Experiments on the model of neurogenic and aspirin-induced ulcerogenesis showed unidirectional and pronounced gastroprotective effects of S. viridiflora and L. chalcedonica extracts comparable to the efficacy of famotidine. In these models, a course of intragastric treatment with the extracts reduced ulcerative lesions of all types.

Hemorheological and cerebroprotective activity of Lychnis chalcedonica L. extract in rats with cerebral ischemia.

Considerable hemorheological changes and depression of EEG parameters were revealed in rats with cerebral ischemia. Course peroral treatment with scarlet lightning extract in a daily dose of 150 mg/kg for 5 days reduced the severity of hemorheological disorders. It manifested in a decrease in whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation, and fibrinogen concentration and increase in deformability. The extract of lightning extract improved EEG activity in rats with cerebral ischemia.

[The hemorheological effects of Lychnis chalcedonica L. extracts]. / Gemoreologicheskie éffekty ékstraktov Lychnis chalcedonica L.

The hemorrheological effects of extracts from Maltese cross campion (Lychnis chalcedonica L.) prepared using 40% (I) and 70% (II) aqueous ethanol solutions were studied in vitro in comparison with tanakan on the model of high blood viscosity syndrome. Under the hyperthermia conditions, extracts I and II at a concentration of 1 x 10(-5) g/ml limited the growth of blood viscosity and thrombocyte aggregation and the drop in thrombocyte deformability. The effects of both extracts were comparable to those of tanakan. Prolonged (5 days) administration of extract I (daily dose, 150 mg/kg p.o) in rats with arterial hypertension (SHR) decreased the viscosity of whole blood and plasma, reduced the concentration of fibrinogen, and increased the deformability of erythrocytes. No reliable effects of the extracts in vivo upon the erythrocyte aggregation and hematocrit were observed.