Effects of Hyul-Bu-Chuke-Tang on Erythrocyte Deformability and Cerebrovascular CO(2) Reactivity in Normal Subjects.
Aim. Hyul-bu-chuke-tang (HCEt) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine that is used for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disorders. We investigated the acute effects of HCEt on erythrocyte deformability and cerebrovascular CO(2) reactivity (CVR) in healthy male subjects. Materials and Methods. We examined erythrocyte deformability in an HCEt group (n = 14) and a control group (n = 10). CVR was measured using hyperventilation-induced CO(2) reactivity of the middle cerebral artery and transcranial Doppler (TCD) in the HCEt group (n = 11). A historical control group (n = 10) of CVR measurements was also created from our previous study. All measurements were performed prior to and 1, 2, and 3 hours after HCEt administration. Results. HCEt significantly improved erythrocyte deformability 1 hour after administration compared to the control group (2.9 ± 1.1% versus -0.6 ± 1.0%, P = 0.034). HCEt significantly improved the CVR 2 hours after administration compared to the historical control group (9.1 ± 4.0% versus -8.1 ± 4.1%, P = 0.007). The mean blood pressure and pulse rate did not vary from baseline values in either group. Conclusions. We demonstrated that HCEt improved erythrocyte deformability and CVR. Our findings suggest that an improvement in erythrocyte deformability contributes to HCEt's effect on cerebral microcirculation.
Department of Cardiovascular and Neurologic Diseases, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-702, Republic of Korea.
Woo-Sang
WS
Jung
Joo-Young
JY
Park
Hyung-Sik
HS
Byeon
Young-Jee
YJ
Kim
Jung-Mi
JM
Park
Seong-Uk
SU
Park
Seung-Yeon
SY
Cho
Sang-Kwan
SK
Moon