Choi Eun Sik, Lee Yun Jung, Seo Chang Seob, Yoon Jung Joo, Han Byung Hyuk, Park Min Cheol, Kang Dae Gill, Lee Ho Sub
College of Oriental Medicine and Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, 460 Iksandae-ro, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea; Hanbang Body-Fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, 460 Iksandae-ro, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
K-Herb Research Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:9580234. doi: 10.1155/2016/9580234. Epub 2016 Jun 5.
Samul-Tang (Si-Wu-Tang, SMT), composed of four medicinal herbs, is a well-known herbal formula treating hematological disorder or gynecologic disease. However, vascular protective effects of SMT and its molecular mechanisms on the vascular endothelium, known as the central spot of vascular inflammatory process, are not reported. The aim of this study was to investigate vascular protective effects of SMT water extract in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Water extract of SMT was prepared and identified by HPLC-PDA analysis. Expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were determined by western blot. Nuclear localization of NF-κB and Nrf2 was visualized by immunofluorescence and DNA binding activity of NF-κB was measured. ROS production, HL-60 monocyte adhesion, and intracellular nitric oxide (NO) were also measured using a fluorescent indicator. SMT suppressed NF-κB translocation and activation as well as expression of CAMs, monocyte adhesion, and ROS production induced by TNF-α in HUVECs. SMT treated HUVECs showed upregulation of HO-1 and NO which are responsible for vascular protective action. Our study suggests that SMT, a traditionally used herbal formula, protects the vascular endothelium from inflammation and might be used as a promising vascular protective drug.
四物湯由四味藥材組成，是一種治療血液系統疾病或婦科疾病的著名中藥方劑。然而，四物湯對血管內皮（血管炎症過程的中心環節）的血管保護作用及其分子機制尚未見報道。本研究旨在探究四物湯水提取物對人類臍靜脈內皮細胞（HUVECs）的血管保護作用。通過高效液相色譜 - 二極管陣列檢測法（HPLC-PDA）制備並鑒定四物湯水提取物。採用蛋白免疫印跡法檢測細胞黏附分子（CAMs）、血紅素加氧酶 -1（HO-1）的表達以及核因子 -κB（NF-κB）和核因子紅系2相關因子2（Nrf2）的轉位。通過免疫熒光觀察NF-κB和Nrf2的核定位，並測定NF-κB的DNA結合活性。還使用熒光指示劑測定活性氧（ROS）產生、HL-60單核細胞黏附及細胞內一氧化氮（NO）含量。四物湯抑制HUVECs中由腫瘤壞死因子-α（TNF-α）誘導的NF-κB轉位和激活以及CAMs表達、單核細胞黏附和ROS產生。用四物湯處理的HUVECs中HO-1和NO表達上調，二者具有血管保護作用。我們的研究表明，傳統中藥方劑四物湯可保護血管內皮免受炎症侵害，可能是一種有前景的血管保護藥物。
