Effects of traditional Chinese medicines on serum lipid profiles and homocysteine in the ovariectomized rats.
To investigate the effects of the traditional Chinese medicines, kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao and chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san, on the cardiovascular systems of mimic menopausal rats, five groups were formed: group 1 (the control group) was given a sham operation and received distilled water, while groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were ovariectomized and received distilled water, kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao, chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san and 17-beta-estradiol, respectively, for4 months. Our results demonstrated that the mean differences of the estrogen levels in groups 3 or 5 were significantly higher than those of group 2. These data suggest that there might be some estrogen-like substances in kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao. However, the function of these estrogen-like substances was unknown. The mean differences of the triglyceride (TG) levels, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and the ratios of TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C in groups 1, 3, 4 and 5 were not significantly different from those in group 2. The mean differences of the total cholesterol (TC) levels in group 5 were significantly higher than those in group 2 (p < 0.05), but no obvious difference of the TC levels was found between groups 2 and 4. Nevertheless, the mean differences of the homocysteine (Hcy) levels in groups 4 and 5 were statistically lower than those of group 2. Therefore, administration of chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san declines the Hcy levels in OVX rats and does not affect the TC levels in these animals. In conclusion, our results indicate that chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san shows a more profound effect than 17-beta-estradiol in the prevention of atherosclerosis in these OVX rats.
Lee
Su-Chen
SC
Department of Clinical Laboratory, School of Technology for Medical Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chang
Shun-Jen
SJ
Tsai
Li-Yu
LY
D000818:Animals; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D023421:Models, Animal; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004967:Estrogens; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D006710:Homocysteine