Ethanolic extract of rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (chuanxiong) enhances endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity in ovariectomized rats fed with high-fat diet

Abstract

The rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (LC), also known as chuanxiong, is a very common herb widely used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is also used as a major ingredient in soups for regular consumption to promote good health. To study the protective effect of LC ethanolic extract (LCEE, 600 mg per kg per day, p.o.) on the integrity of the vascular system, ovariectomized (OVX) rats were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) plus LCEE for 12 weeks. The animal model was used to mimic the dyslipidemic condition seen in postmenopausal women. LCEE was found significantly to reduce the body weight gain, improve serum lipid profiles (by lowering total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol but raising high density lipoprotein cholesterol) and protect vascular endothelium in the HFD-fed OVX rats. It is postulated that LCEE could exert its vascular protective effect through multiple targets by (1) improving serum lipid profiles to reduce the detrimental effects of cholesterol; (2) reducing the ROS level in the body via enhancing the hepatic anti-oxidative activity or antioxidant level to scavenge the reactive oxygen species generated in the postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic condition; (3) stimulating eNOS-derived nitric oxide production; (4) counteracting the up-regulation of inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1) expressions so as to reduce endothelium damage.

Comparative transcriptome of rhizome and leaf in Ligusticum Chuanxiong

“…More than 61 % (67,373 of 109,486) unigenes were annotated by sequence similarity search in public databases. The percentages of the annotated unigenes were similar to those in Chinese fir (Huang et al 2012), parsley (Li et al 2014a, b) and tea (Shi et al 2011).…”

“…Ono et al 2011;Tang et al 2011). To our knowledge, only a few transcriptome databases have been obtained from celery (Fu et al 2013), carrot (Iorizzo et al 2011) and parsley (Li et al 2014a, b) in the Apiaceae family, which were belonged to Apium, Daucus and Petroselinum genus, respectively. The limited resources cannot provide more help to study the L. chuanxiong, which is belonged to Ligusticum genus.…”

“…Ligusticum chuanxiong cultivated in Dujiangyan area, Sichuan province, China, was traditionally recognized as the authentic and superior herb (Wu and Yang 2008). The dry rhizome of L. chuanxiong, also known as chuanxiong, has been widely used as traditional medicine for the treatment of headache, rheumatic arthralgia, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, menstrual disorder and swelling pain in China, Japan, and Korea for thousands of years (Li et al 2012(Li et al , 2014a. Meanwhile, the rhizome of L. chuanxiong has also been used as the components of cosmetics for improving the skin color and fragrance (Zhang et al 2012).…”

Treatment and prevention of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome using Chinese herbal medicines

“…Tanshinone has been reported to inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, protect endothelial cells, exert antioxidant activity and inhibit cell apoptosis (56). Similarly, Ligustrazine was able to attenuate the apoptosis of vascular tissue cells by inhibiting the formation of large quantities of OFR during the oxidative stress response, and ameliorate vascular endothelial injury due to oxidative stress (57). Furthermore, Ligustrazine was reported to reduce the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 from LPS-induced macrophages (58).…”

Screening of Bioactive Ingredients in Ligusticum Chuanxiong Hort for Protection against Myocardial Ischemia

“…Meanwhile, fingerprint analysis based on chromatography has been widely used for authentication and quality control of herbal drugs [20][21][22]. LCH extracts have been widely studied in animal models, both in vivo and in vitro to determine their cardiovascular function [23,24]. It has been found that, some traditional Chinese medicines such as Panax Quinquefolium Saponin can reverse myocardial ischemia [25].…”