[Effect of five species of Epimedium on growth of cartilage and proliferation of cartilage cell in vitro].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of Epimedium brevicornum, E. sagittatum, E. koreanum, E, wushanense and E. elongntum on the growth of cartilage and proliferation of cartilage cell in vitro.


METHODS
According to the paired design method, either femur of each chichen embryo was put into the control tube with the medium containing no Epimedium injection, and the other was put into the treated tube with the medium containing 3% Epimedium injection. The length and weight of cultured cartilage and proliferation of cartilage cell (MTY method) were used as the indices to observe the cartilage biological activities of the five species of Epimedium in culture.


RESULTS
The results showed that the indices of length, weight and MTT in the E. brevicornum and E. sagittatum group were significantly higher than those in the contral group, but the above indices in groups E. koreanum, E. wushanens and E. elongntum were similar to those of the control with no statistical difference.


CONCLUSIONS
E. brevicornum and E. sagittatum can improve the growth of cartilage and proliferation of cartilage cell in vitro, and other three Epimedium have not the same effect in this test.
Feng
Kun
K
Academy of Traditional Chinese Othopedics and Traumatology of Henan Province, Luoyang 471002, China. lyfengkun@126.com
Xie
Wen
W
Chen
Bao-Long
BL
Wang
Jian-Zhi
JZ
Guo
Jian-Gang
JG
D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034181:Epimedium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D013045:Species Specificity
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal