title: Lipid-lowering effects of Danhong injection on hyperlipidemia rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Danhong injection (DHI), a Chinese medical product extracted from Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Labiatae, Danshen in Chinese) and Flos Carthami (Carthamus tinctorius L., Compositae, Honghua in Chinese), has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-fibrinolytic properties and is used extensively for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular disease in clinic. This study aimed to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of DHI on hyperlipidemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control (NC), model control (MC) and DHI-treated at doses of 1.0mL/kg and 2.0mL/kg. The effects of DHI on serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), glucose, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were evaluated and insulin was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1), hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) in liver were determined by real-time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the MC group, rats treated with DHI had significantly reduced TG, TC, LDL-C and arteriosclerosis index (AI). Expression of FAS and HMGR mRNA was significantly reduced, whereas the CPT1 and PPAR-α were significantly increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DHI treatment was accompanied by significantly increased lipolysis in the liver and decreased fatty acid synthesis. The insights gained from this study will improve both understanding of the mechanisms involved in the effect of DHI on hyperlipidemia and the pharmacological rationale for the use of DHI in diseases caused by lipid metabolic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, PR China. Electronic address: mytw_00@163.com.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Safety Evaluation for New Drugs, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou 310013, PR China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, PR China.
authors.forename: Jiehong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, PR China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Buchang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Xi׳an 710075, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Buchang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Xi׳an 710075, PR China.
authors.forename: Panke
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, PR China. Electronic address: whthz@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hai tong
authors.initials: Ht
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; C540581:danhong
keywords: Danhong injection; Fatty acid synthesis; Hyperlipidemia; Hypolipidemic; Lipolysis