Novel two-step release system for the traditional Chinese medicine compound Danshen

Study of the in vitro-in vivo correlation of Danshensu and protocatechuic aldehyde in a two-step release system

A two-step release system (TSRS) for the compound Danshen, which has drug-release behavior that is in accordance with the circadian rhythms of cardiovascular disease, was developed by combining an effervescent osmotic pump tablet and a pulsed-released tablet into one hard capsule by our lab. An in vivo study indicated that after oral administration of TSRS, two peaks of the plasma concentration of both Danshensu (DS) and protocatechuic aldehyde (PA) were observed, which suggested that the drug plasma concentration-time curve could meet the requirements for chronotherapy of cardiovascular disease after the bed-time administration of such a device. High performance liquid chromatography using an ultraviolet (UV) detector was used to simultaneously determine the concentrations of DS and PA in plasma. This method was simple, convenient, and appropriate for the quality control of DS and PA. A linear correlation model was established based on the percent absorbant data and percent in vitro dissolution data. Because the drugs were released from the device in an osmotic pressure-dependent manner and absorbed rapidly, a reasonable linear regression relationship was observed between the in vitro and in vivo performances. The current study highlights the potential use of such a device for chronopharmaceutical drug delivery.

G. S. Design and development of a dual-drug loaded pulsatile capsule for treatment of hypertension – in vitro and ex vivo studies

The aim of the present study was to design and evaluate a pulsatile dosage form to program the release of dual antihypertensive drugs to mimic the circadian pattern of BP.

Metabonomic strategy to the evaluation of chinese medicine compound danshen dripping pills interfering myocardial ischemia in rats

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the highest mortality diseases in the world. Traditional Chinese medicine compound Danshen dripping pills (CDDPs) have currently made a great achievement in treating CHD. However, the therapeutic mechanism of CDDP is often poorly interpreted. In this study, a GC-MS-based metabonomic study was conducted to assess the holistic efficacy of CDDP for myocardial infarction in male Sprague-Dawley rats, which were divided into the control group, the sham group, the model group, the control + CDDP group, and the model + CDDP, with CDDP at a dose of 107 mg/kg·d (equal to 1.8 mL/kg·d). The metabonomic findings demonstrated great differences of metabolic pattern among sham, model, and the model + CDDP in the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models, which coordinated well with the assessment of plasma biochemistry and histopathological assay. Differentially expressed metabolites suggested that energy metabolism, glycolysis, and lipid metabolism might be disrupted by myocardial infarction. Both the potential metabolic biomarkers and the biochemical histopathological indices were regulated effectively by CDDP.