Protective effect of Chinese prescription Kangen-karyu and its crude drug Tanjin against age-related lipidosis in rats

Magnesium Lithospermate B from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge Ameliorates Aging-Induced Renal Inflammation and Senescence via NADPH Oxidase-Mediated Reactive Oxygen Generation

The present study was conducted to examine whether magnesium lithospermate B (MLB) extracted from Salviae miltiorrhizae radix was renoprotective in pathways related to age-related oxidative stress in aged rats. Magnesium lithospermate B was orally administered at a dose of 2- or 8-mg/kg body weight for 16 consecutive days, and the effects were compared with those of vehicle in old and young rats. Magnesium lithospermate B administration to old rats ameliorated renal oxidative stress through reduction of reactive oxygen species. The old rats exhibited a dysregulation of the expression of proteins related to oxidative stress and inflammation in the kidneys, and MLB administration significantly reduced the protein expression of major subunits of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (Nox4 and p22^phox ), phospho-p38, nuclear factor-kappa B p65, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. In addition, MLB-treated old rats showed lower levels of senescence-related proteins such as p16, ADP-ribosylation factor 6, p53, and p21 through effects on the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Magnesium lithospermate B administration also significantly attenuated the age-related increase in serum urea nitrogen, reflecting renal dysfunction, up-regulated podocyte structural proteins, and reduced renal structural injury. Our results provide important evidence that MLB reduces the renal damage of oxidative stress in old rats. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Natural compounds with anti-ageing activity

Ageing is a complex molecular process driven by diverse molecular pathways and biochemical events that are promoted by both environmental and genetic factors. Specifically, ageing is defined as a time-dependent decline of functional capacity and stress resistance, associated with increased chance of morbidity and mortality. These effects relate to age-related gradual accumulation of stressors that result in increasingly damaged biomolecules which eventually compromise cellular homeostasis. Nevertheless, the findings that genetic or diet interventions can increase lifespan in evolutionarily diverse organisms indicate that mortality can be postponed. Natural compounds represent an extraordinary inventory of high diversity structural scaffolds that can offer promising candidate chemical entities in the major healthcare challenge of increasing health span and/or delaying ageing. Herein, those natural compounds (either pure forms or extracts) that have been found to delay cellular senescence or in vivo ageing will be critically reviewed and summarized according to affected cellular signalling pathways. Moreover, the chemical structures of the identified natural compounds along with the profile of extracts related to their bioactive components will be presented and discussed. Finally, novel potential molecular targets for screening natural compounds for anti-ageing activity, as well as the idea that anti-ageing interventions represent a systemic approach that is also effective against age-related diseases will be discussed.

Pharmacokinetic comparison of the vasorelaxant compound ferulic acid following the administration of Guanxin II to healthy volunteers and patients with angina pectoris

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The Chinese medicinal formula Guanxin II has been shown to have a favorable effect in the attenuation of angina. The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of ferulic acid (FA), which is a vasorelaxant compound present in Guanxin II, in healthy volunteers and patients with angina pectoris following the administration of Guanxin II. Ex vivo experiments were performed in order to investigate the vasorelaxant effect of FA on the human internal mammary artery (IMA) to provide evidence that it is a bioactive component of Guanxin II. Following the oral administration of Guanxin II, the FA levels in the serum were quantified by a simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Treatment with FA (10⁻⁸−10⁻³ M) caused a concentration-dependent relaxation of endothelial IMA rings following precontraction with KCl. Statistically significant differences were identified between the pharmaco-kinetic parameters C_max, t_1/2α, t_1/2β and t_1/2Ka of the healthy volunteers and the patients with angina pectoris following the oral administration of Guanxin II. FA is a bioactive compound absorbed from Guanxin II that attenuates angina pectoris, a condition that may modify the pharmacokinetics of FA. Not only do the pharmacokinetic parameters direct the clinical use of Guanxin II, but they may also be useful for exploring the pathology of angina pectoris.