Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Research and Development Center of CM, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biotechnology & Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 4;7(1):7353. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-07659-x.
Component-based Chinese medicine (CCM) is derived from traditional Chinese medicine but produced with modern pharmaceutical standard and clearer clinical indications. However, it still faces challenges of defining individual component contribution in the complex formula. Using QiShenYiQi (QSYQ) as a model CCM, we investigated the role of Dalbergia odorifera (DO), an herbal component, in preventing myocardial damage. We showed that in vitro, QSYQ exerted considerable protective activities on cardiomyocytes from HO-induced mitochondrial dysfunction with or without DO. However, in isolated rat hearts, myocardial protection by QSYQ was significantly weakened without DO. In everted gut sac model, DO significantly enhanced absorption of the major QSYQ ingredients in different regions of rat intestine. Finally, in in vivo mouse model of doxorubicin (DOX)-induced myocardial damage, only QSYQ, but not QiShenYiQi without DO (QSYQ-DO), exerted a full protection. Taken together, our results showed that instead of directly contributing to the myocardial protection, Dalbergia odorifera facilitates the major active ingredients absorption and increases their efficacy, eventually enhancing the in vivo potency of QSYQ. These findings may shed new lights on our understanding of the prescription compatibility theory, as well as the impacts of "courier herbs" in component-based Chinese medicine.
基于成分的中药（CCM）源自传统中药，但采用现代制药标准和更明确的临床适应症。然而，它仍然面临着在复杂配方中定义单个成分贡献的挑战。我们以参芪益气（QSYQ）为模型 CCM，研究了草药成分降香（DO）在预防心肌损伤中的作用。我们表明，在体外，QSYQ 对 HO 诱导的线粒体功能障碍具有相当大的保护作用，无论是否存在 DO。然而，在分离的大鼠心脏中，没有 DO 的情况下，QSYQ 的心肌保护作用明显减弱。在外翻肠囊模型中，DO 显著增强了 QSYQ 主要成分在大鼠肠不同区域的吸收。最后，在阿霉素（DOX）诱导的心肌损伤的体内小鼠模型中，只有 QSYQ，而不是没有 DO 的参芪益气（QSYQ-DO），发挥了全面的保护作用。总之，我们的结果表明，降香并不是直接有助于心肌保护，而是促进了主要活性成分的吸收，增加了它们的疗效，最终增强了 QSYQ 在体内的效力。这些发现可能为我们理解处方配伍理论以及“信使草药”在基于成分的中药中的作用提供新的思路。
