cardiovascular-agents and icariin

Some of the active phytochemicals in herbal medicine are finding therapeutic use. For example, patients with heart disease are reported to benefit from treatment with herbal medicine with fewer side effects. Previous studies showed the inhibitory effects of tetramethylpyrazine, an active component of medicinal herb, on phosphodiesterase that is associated with heart disease and the cardio-protective effects of other herbal medicine that was used to protect ischemia-reperfusion injury of rat hearts. Individual herbal medicines show antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. In addition to sharing many therapeutic activities, the active components of herbal medicine are also used in nutrient supplement for cardiovascular disease. Numerous in vitro studies of herbal medicine on different cell lines and in vivo study of herbal medicine have been reported. However, the mechanism of actions remains unclear. The present review aims to give an overview of the recent development of herbal medicine in treatment of cardiovascular disease, and covers the possible mechanism of action of some of active principles. The study will provide insights into drug action and demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of herbal medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Topics: Alkaloids; Astragalus propinquus; Biphenyl Compounds; Cardiovascular Agents; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Flavonoids; Glycyrrhizic Acid; Herbal Medicine; Humans; Lignans; Phenanthrenes; Pyrazines

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of icariin (ICA) on cardiac aging through its effects on the SIRT6 enzyme and on the NF-κB pathway. Investigating the effect of ICA on the enzymatic activity of histone deacetylase SIRT6 revealed a concentration of 10(-8) mol/L ICA had a maximum activating effect on histone deacetylase SIRT6 enzymatic activity. Western analysis showed that ICA upregulated SIRT6 protein expression and downregulated NF-κB (p65) protein expression in animal tissues and cell models. ICA upregulated the expression of SIRT6 and had an inhibitory effect on NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathways as shown by decreasing mRNA levels of the NF-κB downstream target genes TNF-α, ICAM-1, IL-2, and IL-6. Those effects were mediated directly or indirectly by SIRT6. We provided evidence that inflammaging may involve a novel link between the effects of ICA on SIRT6 (a regulator of aging) and NF-κB (a regulator of inflammation).

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Cardiovascular Agents; Cells, Cultured; Cellular Senescence; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Endothelial Cells; Flavonoids; Gene Expression; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; NF-kappa B; Signal Transduction; Sirtuins

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatographic (MEKC) method with diode-array detection is developed for the characterization of pharmacologically active flavonoids in extracts prepared from Epimedium brevicornum, E. humanense, E. coactum, and E. truncatum. The pK(a) values of icarin, epimedin B, and epimedin C are determined by spectrophotometry. Optimal separation of icarin, epimedin B and C, and eight other compounds is achieved by determining pK(a) values and by systematically optimizing electrolytic and instrumental parameters. The repeatability of analyses and the reliability of identification are evaluated by the marker technique. Calculated for relative migration times of flavonoids in the extracts, the repeatability of the analyses varies from 0.7 to 6.4% (nine replicates). For migration indices calculated with two markers, however, the repeatability almost falls below 0.5%. The distribution of the flavonoids is found to differ both qualitatively and quantitatively among the four species. The MEKC technique appears to provide a powerful tool for the identification and quality control of plant drugs and for phytotaxonomic investigations.

Topics: Cardiovascular Agents; Chromatography; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Electrophoresis, Capillary; Flavonoids; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Reproducibility of Results; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet