title: Improving abnormal hemorheological parameters in aging guinea pigs by water-soluble extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge.
abstract: Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, known as Danshen in Chinese traditional medicine is effective at promoting blood circulation and removing (or decreasing) blood stasis. In the present study, we selected aging, 24-month-old guinea pigs as the animal experimental models and fed them a diet containing 75, 100 or 150 mg/(kg day) of water-soluble extract components of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (WSm) for 28 days, respectively, in order to evaluate the effects of WSm on their abnormal hemorheological parameters. The results showed that the blood biochemical parameters of the aging guinea pigs remained unaffected by orally given WSm compared to the controls, except that the fibrinogen levels of the group fed the high dose of WSm (150 mg/(kg day)) decreased. Aging guinea pigs fed a low dose of WSm (75 mg/(kg day)) showed no significant difference in hemorheological parameters. However, feeding of WSm at 100 mg/(kg day) (medium dose), significantly reduced erythrocyte membrane MDA levels, which probably increased erythrocyte deformability and decreased erythrocyte flow resistance, though no improvement in erythrocyte aggregation, blood viscosity, and blood viscoelasticity could be observed. Furthermore, when the dose reached 150 mg/(kg day) of WSm (high dose), a significant decrease in whole blood viscosity was observed at high, medium and low shear rates. Blood viscosity and viscoelasticity exhibited significant improvement in oscillatory measurements. Also, we found that the oxygen transport efficiency of whole blood increased.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Hsin-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Tsay
authors.forename: Hong-Jen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Tzung-Yan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Guei-Jane
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Der-Zen
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004548:Elasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018056:Hemorheology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots; D011897:Random Allocation; D027561:Salvia miltiorrhiza
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005340:Fibrinogen; D010100:Oxygen