Cardio-protection of ultrafine granular powder for Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge against myocardial infarction

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Myocardial infarction (MI) is considered as the major inducer to the morbidity and mortality related to coronary occlusion. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is widely applied in the clinic for the prevention and treatment of heart diseases. The preparation of traditional herb decoction (THD) is not only time consuming but also difficult to keep uniform for every time. New usage form of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge with characteristics of convenience, uniform and efficiency is needed.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aims of present study were to investigate the cardio-protection of ultrafine granular powder (UGP) of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge; and further compare the characteristics of UGP with THD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MI was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery near the main pulmonary artery. Cardio-protection of UGP or THD was evaluated based on two sets of experiments, one was acute myocardial infarction (AMI) through 7 days preventive administration, and the other one was chronic cardiac remodeling through 28 days therapeutic administration. Hemodynamic measurement was conducted to evaluate heart function and histopathological detection was used to evaluate heart structure.

RESULTS

No significant improvement of heart structure and function was detected for preventive administration of UGP or THD on AMI rats. While, more significant improvements on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function were detected with therapeutic treatment with 0.81 g/kg UGP than same dose of THD on rats against chronic cardiac remodeling. Both UGP and THD showed the protective effects on heart structure, especially against fibrosis with long-term therapeutic treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

As a new usage form of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, UGP showed significant cardio-protection against myocardial remodeling with therapeutic treatment. Comparing with THD, UGP also holds the advantages of uniform, convenience and efficiency.

A systematic study of the dissolution and relative bioavailability of four ginsenosides in the form of ultrafine granular powder, common powder and traditional pieces of Panax quinquefolius L, in vitro and in beagles

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Panax quinquefolius L (PQ), also known as American ginseng, has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years in the Far East, which was wildly used actively in healing the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems, in supporting chemoprevention of cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An integrated, rapid, sensitive and reliable UHPLC-ESI-QQQ MS/MS method was validated and successfully applied in a pharmacokinetics study in which four representative ginsenosides were measured in beagle plasma following oral administration of Panax quinquefolius L (PQ) in the form of ultrafine granular powder, standard powder and an extract.

RESULTS

Two paired ions ([M+Na](+) in the positive MS process, and two characteristic ions [Q3](+) in the positive MS/MS process) of the target compounds were optimized and selected for improved qualitative and quantitative analysis of ginsenosides in beagle plasma. The relative bioavailability of the target ginsenosides in these three formulations was measured by the pharmacokinetic parameters, including Cmax, Tmax, AUC0-∞ and so on. The ultrafine granular powder had the highest bioavailability, as well as the greatest extent of and fastest dissolution in vitro.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that improved formulations of PQ could facilitate the dissolution and promote absorption of the important compounds it contains.