title: Study on the complex prescription compatibility law of the cold and hot nature of Mahuang Decoction and its categorized formulae based on the cold-hot pad differentiating assay.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the complex prescription compatibility law of the cold and hot nature of Mahuang Decoction (, MHD) and Maxing Shigan Decoction (, MXSGD), both categorized both categorized MHD) and Maxing Shigan Decoction (both categorized MXSGD), both categorized formulas but with different hot/cold natures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oxygen consumption of mice was determined among three groups: MHD, MXSGD and the control; a cold-hot pad differentiating assay was used to observe the variability of temperature tropism among the groups of mice which was treated with MHD, MXSGD, and their compositions. Meanwhile, the total anti-oxidant capability (T-AOC) activity were detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After administration of MHD, the mice showed increased oxygen consumption (P<0.01). Compared with MHD group, the remaining rate of MXSGD mice on the hot pad was found to be significantly increased with the cold-hot pad differentiating assay (P<0.05). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) among the remaining rates of MXSGD, MXSGD with high dose Gypsum Fibrosum (MXHGF) group, and MXSGD with low dose Gypsum Fibrosum (MXLGF) group mice. Compared with the MHD group, T-AOC activity of the mice in the Consensus Compositons group was significantly decreased (P=0.0494). Compared with the MXSGD group, T-AOC activity of Gypsum Fibrosum (GF) group was increased significantly (P=0.0013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The differences in cold and hot nature could be represented objectively between MHD with a hot nature and MXSGD with a cold nature. The reason may be the Gypsum Fibrosum which decreased the efficacy of the consensus compositions. However, increasing or decreasing the dose of Gypsum Fibrosum will not change the cold and hot nature of MXSGD.
authors.affiliation: China Military Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, 302 Military Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Yan-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jia-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Rui-Sheng
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Dan-Hong
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Xiao-He
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D010101:Oxygen Consumption