[Phytochemical and pharmacological progress on genus Syringa].

The genus Syringa, belonging to the family Oleaceae, are distributed naturally in the European and Asian regions.This genus is composed of more than 20 species worldwide, among which about 16 species including 10 endemic ones are discovered in China.The Syringa sp.are extensively used as herbal medicine and ornamental aspects, such as the roots and stems of S. pinnatifolia, which is one of the typical Mongolian folk medicines in China for the treatment of cardiovascular and pulmonary symptoms. As a continuous research following the previous summary in 2015, the present reriew describes the phytochemical and pharmacological progress of the genus, which hopes to provide a valuable reference to its research, development and clinic application.

Effects of polydatin from Polygonum cuspidatum on lipid profile in hyperlipidemic rabbits.

Hyperlipidemia is one of the vital coronary risk factors and is positively related to morbidity and mortality of coronary heart disease. There are numerous herbal medicines which are reported to exert good hypolipidemic actions with few side effects. In the present study, the hypolipidemic effects of polydatin, a compound from Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc, on hyperlipidemic rabbits were evaluated. Thirty-two male rabbits were fed a high fat/cholesterol diet for 6 weeks and another eight male rabbits fed a basic diet served as normal control. Three weeks after a high fat/cholesterol diet, the animals were orally administrated polydatin (25, 50, and 100 mg kg(-1) per day) by intubation for 3 weeks. The results showed that polydatin markedly decreased the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hyperlipidemic rabbits. The ratio of TC to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and the liver coefficient were also reduced. But both polydatin and high fat/cholesterol diet did not evidently affect body weight in hyperlipidemic rabbits. All these results suggest that polydatin from Polygonum cuspidatum has favorable potency to develop a hypolipemic and/or hepatoprotective agent in clinic. However the mechanism of hypolipemic action of polydatin is in need of further clarity.

Lipid-lowering effects of polydatin from Polygonum cuspidatum in hyperlipidemic hamsters.

Hyperlipidaemias are common in obese people, and they increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have shown that several drugs can depress serum cholesterol. However, they could cause serious side effects in various clinical settings. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the lipid-lowering effects of polydatin in high-fat/cholesterol (HFC)-fed hamsters. The levels of lipids in hamsters were measured enzymatically before and after the administration of polydatin. Significant differences between HFC and HFC+polydatin were detected for those concentrations. Decreased levels of serum TC, TG and LDL-C and the concentrations of hepatic TG were found. Experimental results also showed that polydatin elevated LDL-C/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C ratios. In concert with other effects, serum cholesterol-lowering effect in hamsters may contribute to the regulation properties attributed to polydatin.

Effects of a traditional Chinese herbal preparation on osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

BACKGROUND: Bone formation and resorption is a balanced and continuous process. When osteoclastic bone resorption exceeds osteoblastic bone formation, bone density decreases, which can lead to osteoporosis. Er-Zhi-Wan (EZW), a famous traditional Chinese formulation, has been developed as a restorative formula for hundreds of years, which contains two herbs viz. Herba Ecliptae and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi. EZW is widely used to prevent and treat various kidney diseases for its actions of nourishing the kidney yin and strengthening tendon and bone. The objective of current study was to investigate the effects of EZW on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vitro using a serum pharmacological method. METHODS: The rats were orally administered EZW (0.45, 1.8 and 7.2gkg(-1)) for total seven doses and twice a day, and then the different concentrations of EZW-containing serum were prepared. The proliferation of primary cultural osteoblasts, UMR106 and RAW264.7 cells and differentiation of osteoclasts were determined after these cells were treated with different concentrations of EZW-containing serum for a period of time. RESULTS: The serum from rats treated with EZW for 4 days did not facilitate proliferation of primary cultural osteoblasts and UMR106 cells, but evidently inhibited both proliferation of RAW264.7 cells and differentiation of osteoclasts from RAW264.7 cells induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANK-L) and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). CONCLUSION: Antiosteoporotic activity of EZW is carried out mainly via restraint of osteoclastic bone resorption, which is in accordance with the traditional Chinese medicine theory on nourishing the kidney yin. Therefore EZW has favorable potency to develop a new anti-osteoporotic agent in clinic.