Erjingwan Extracts Exert Antiaging Effects of Skin through Activating Nrf2 and Inhibiting NF-κB.

In oriental medicine, mixtures of medical plants are always used as prescriptions for diseases. Natural products extracted from herbs have great potential antiaging effects. Previous studies and clinical trials have shown several critical functions of Erjingwan (EJW), such as nourishing Yin, kidney tonifying and aging-resistance. We assumed that EJW extracts exerted the antiaging effects through nourishing Yin. We examined the antiaging effects of EJW extracts on healthy human skin by noninvasive measurements. Then we estimated the cell proliferation and DPPH radical scavenging rate. Western blotting analysis was used to determine the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), type I collagen (COL1A2), p-NF-κB, NF-κB, p-IκBα, IκBα, p-Nrf2, and HO-1. EJW extracts did not affect moisture content, TEWL and skin chroma, while it significantly improved skin glossiness and skin elasticity. Moreover, EJW extracts could downregulate the MMP1 expression and upregulate the COL1A2 expression. In addition, it promoted the Nrf2 pathway while it inhibited the NF-κB pathway. With the application of cream containing EJW extracts, the skin aging state was significantly improved. Furthermore, in vitro studies showed that EJW extracts contributed to the repair of skin after injury. Taken together, the antiaging effects of EJW extracts were related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities.

First-pass metabolism of decursin, a bioactive compound of Angelica gigas, in rats.

Decursin is considered the major bioactive compound of Angelica gigas roots, a popular Oriental herb and dietary supplement. In this study, the pharmacokinetics of decursin and its active metabolite, decursinol, were evaluated after the administration of decursin in rats. The plasma concentration of decursin decreased rapidly, with an initial half-life of 0.05 h. It was not detectable at 1 h after intravenous administration at an area under the plasma concentration-time curve of 1.20 µg · mL-1·h, whereas the concentration of decursinol increased rapidly reaching a maximum concentration of 2.48 µg · mL-1 at the time to maximum plasma concentration of 0.25 h and an area under the plasma concentration-time curve of 5.23 µg · mL-1·h. Interestingly, after oral administration of decursin, only decursinol was present in plasma, suggesting an extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism of decursin. The extremely low bioavailability of decursin after its administration via the hepatic portal vein (the fraction of dose escaping first-pass elimination in the liver, FH = 0.11) is indicative of extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism of decursin, which was confirmed by a tissue distribution study. These findings suggest that decursin is not directly associated with the bioactivity of A. gigas and that it may work as a type of natural prodrug of decursinol.