Iijima O T, Takeda H, Matsumiya T
Department of Pharmacology and Intractable Diseases Research Center (Division of Drug Research and Development), Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan.
Pharmacol Res. 2000 Feb;41(2):137-41. doi: 10.1006/phrs.1999.0577.
We investigated the effects of the Kampo medicine San'o-shashin-to which showed strong antioxidative effects in vitro on antioxidative mechanism in Kurosawa and Kusanagi- hypercholesterolaemic (KHC) rabbits, which are a good model of spontaneous familial hypercholesterolaemia. A 1-g kg(-1)dose of San'o-shashin-to was administered orally for 24 weeks and changes in plasma lipids, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and redox dynamics of alpha-tocopherol in plasma and erythrocyte membrane were measured in a control group and San'o-shashin-to-treated group. A significant prolongation of the lag time was found in the 12th and 24th week of the experiment in San'o-shashin-to-treated group, indicating antioxidative effects on LDL. At the end of the administration period, the alpha-tocopherolquinone/alpha-tocopherol ratio in erythrocyte membrane, which reflects the utilization rate of alpha-tocopherol was significantly higher in San'o-shashin-to-treated group. There were no significant differences in the two groups with regards to plasma lipids. These results indicate that San'o-shashin-to had antioxidative effects on LDL in vivo and beneficial effects on redox dynamics of alpha-tocopherol, which is the strongest endogenous antioxidant.
