ABSTRACT
Crocetin is an aglycone of crocin naturally occurring in saffron and has been proved to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. In this experiment, the protective effect of crocetin on vital organs in high-altitude hypoxia rats was studied. Crocetin was prepared from gardenia by the alkaline hydrolysis method, and its reducing ability and free radical scavenging ability were tested. The in vitro anti-hypoxia vitality was studied on PC12 cells. The anti-hypoxic survival time of mice was determined in several models. The acute hypoxic injury rat model was established by simulating the hypoxic environment of 8000 m-high altitude for 24 h, and the anti-hypoxia effect of crocetin was evaluated by intraperitoneal injection with the doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. The water contents of the brain and lung were determined, and the pathological sections in the brain, lung, heart, liver, and kidney were observed by HE staining. The levels of oxidative stress (SOD, CAT, H2O2, GSH, GSH-Px, MDA) and inflammatory factors (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, VEGF) in rat brain, lung, heart, liver, and kidney tissues were detected by ELISA. The results indicated that crocetin exhibited strong reducing ability and free radical scavenging ability and could improve the activity of PC12 cells under hypoxia. After intraperitoneal injection with crocetin, the survival time of mice was prolonged, and the pathological damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation in rats' tissue were ameliorated. The protective activity of crocetin on vital organs in high-altitude hypoxia rats may be related to reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory response.
ABSTRACT
Syringin, a phenylpropanoid glycoside, is widely distributed in various plants, such as Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms, Syringa reticulata (BL) Hara var. mandshurica (Maxim.) Hara, and Ilex rotunda Thumb. It serves as the main ingredient in numerous listed medicines, health products, and foods with immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, antihyperglycemic, and antihyperlipidemic effects. This review aims to systematically summarize syringin, including its physicochemical properties, plant sources, extraction and separation methods, total synthesis approaches, pharmacological activities, drug safety profiles, and preparations and applications. It will also cover the pharmacokinetics of syringin, followed by suggestions for future application prospects. The information on syringin was obtained from internationally recognized scientific databases through the Internet (PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Web of Science, Medline Plus, ACS Elsevier, and Flora of China) and libraries. Syringin, extraction and separation, pharmacological activities, preparations and applications, and pharmacokinetics were chosen as the keywords. According to statistics, syringin can be found in 23 families more than 60 genera, and over 100 species of plants. As a key component in many Chinese herbal medicines, syringin holds significant research value due to its unique sinapyl alcohol structure. Its diverse pharmacological effects include immunomodulatory activity, tumor suppression, hypoglycemic action, and hypolipidemic effects. Additionally, it has been shown to provide neuroprotection, liver protection, radiation protection, cardioprotection, and bone protection. Related preparations such as Aidi injection, compound cantharidin capsule, and Tanreqing injection have been widely used in clinical settings. Other studies on syringin such as extraction and isolation, total synthesis, safety profile assessment, and pharmacokinetics have also made progress. It is crucial for medical research to deeply explore its mechanism of action, especially regarding immunity and tumor therapy. Meanwhile, more robust support is needed to improve the utilization of plant resources and to develop extraction means adapted to the needs of industrial biochemistry to further promote economic development while protecting people's health.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of hypoxic and hypobaric conditions on blood gas and erythrocyte-related indicators in rats. METHODS: SD male rats were exposed to low-pressure hypoxic conditions simulating an altitude of 6500 m in a small or a large experimental cabin. Abdominal aortic blood samples were collected and blood gas indicators, red blood cells (RBCs) count, and hemoglobin (Hb) content were measured. The effects of exposure to different hypoxia times, different hypoxia modes, normal oxygen recovery after hypoxia, and re-hypoxia after hypoxia preconditioning on blood gas indicators, RBCs count and Hb content were investigated. RESULTS: The effect of blood gas indicators was correlated with the length of exposure time of hypoxia and the reoxygenation after leaving the cabin. Hypoxia caused acid-base imbalance and its severity was associated with the duration of hypoxia; hypoxia also led to an increase in RBCs count and Hb content, and the increase was also related to the time exposed to hypoxia. The effects of reoxygenation on acid-base imbalance in rats caged in a small animal cabin were more severe that those in a large experimental cabin. Acetazolamide alleviated the effects of reoxygenation after leaving the cabin. Different hypoxia modes and administration of acetazolamide had little effect on RBCs count and Hb content. Normal oxygen recovery can alleviate the reoxygenation and acid-base imbalance of hypoxic rats after leaving the cabin and improve the increase in red blood cell and hemoglobin content caused by hypoxia. The improvement of hypoxia preconditioning on post hypoxia reoxygenation is not significant, but it can alleviate the acid-base imbalance caused by hypoxia in rats and to some extent improve the increase in red blood cell and hemoglobin content caused by hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: Due to excessive ventilation and elevated RBCs count and Hb content after hypoxia reoxygenation, oxygen partial pressure and other oxygenation indicators in hypoxic rats are prone to become abnormal, while blood gas acid-base balance indicators are relatively stable, which are more suitable for evaluating the degree of hypoxia injury and related pharmacological effects in rats.
Subject(s)
Acetazolamide , Acid-Base Imbalance , Rats , Animals , Male , Hypoxia , Oxygen , Erythrocytes , HemoglobinsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the plateau area is relatively backward. There is a lack of system to analyze the effects of the special environment of plateau low pressure and hypoxia on human meridians qi and blood, as well as the etiology and pathogenesis of plateau hypoxic diseases. To analyze the composition rules of anti-hypoxia TCM formulation with data mining methods. METHODS: The experimental literatures related to high altitude hypoxia were searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Med Online, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc and other databases, a standardized prescription database was established after screening and standardization of prescription data in the literature. The composition rules of these prescription including drug frequency, drug attributes, drug efficacy, drug combination, and core prescription were analyzed and displayed with visual charts. RESULTS: A total of 135 TCM prescriptions were included, and 229 flavored drugs were included. Among these prescriptions, the TCM with high frequency of use were Astragalus, Danshen, Ginseng, and Angelica, etc. Four natures of the TCM were mostly warm and calm. Five flavours of the TCM were mostly sweet, bitter, and pungent. And channel tropism of the TCM mostly entered the heart, lung, and liver meridians. The frequency combination of TCM was Astragalus-Danshen and Astragalus-Angelica. The core medicines of these prescriptions were Astragalus, Danshen, Angelica, Rhodiola, Goji, and Ginseng. TCM could alleviate symptoms such as chest tightness, chest pain, coughing and wheezing, coughing, vomiting, fatigue, and loss of appetite caused by hypoxia at high altitude. CONCLUSIONS: Through data mining, it is concluded that the prevention or treatment of plateau hypoxic diseases mostly utilized products can nourish blood, replenish qi and dispel stasis, and help yang and dispel qi, most of them are compatible with qi tonic drugs and blood circulation and stasis dissolving drugs, and pay attention to the combination of virtual and real, yin and yang.