Cistanches Herba: A Neuropharmacology Review

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  • Cistanches Herba: A Neuropharmacology Review

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    Publicado por : dfsdsdsr

    Publicado en : 26-10-21

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    Sitio web : http://www.xjcistanche.com/



    Cistanches Herba: A Neuropharmacology Review

    Cistanche extract products (family

    Orobanchaceae), commonly known as “desert ginseng” or Rou Cong Rong, is a global genus and commonly used for its

    neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidative, kidney impotence, laxative, anti-inflammatory,

    hepatoprotective, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-tumor effects in traditional herbal formulations in North

    Africa, Arabic, and Asian countries. The major bioactive compound present in this plant is phenylethanoid

    glycosides. In recent years, there has been great important in scientific investigation of the

    neuropharmacological effects of the bioactive compounds. The in vitro and in vivo studies suggests these compounds

    demonstrate neuropharmacological activities against a wide range of complex nervous system diseases which occurs

    through different mechanisms include improving immunity function and kidney aging, anti-lipid peroxidation,

    scavenging free radical, inducing the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8. This review aims to summaries the

    various neuropharmacological effects and mechanisms of Cistanches Herba extracts and related compounds, including

    its efficacy as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease with reference to the published

    literature. Which provides guidance for further research on the clinical application of Cistanches Herba.

        Introduction

        Cistanches Herba, the dried stem of Cistanches species Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma (Figure 1) and

    Cistanche raw materials, is recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopeia

    (Committee, 2015). Other non-official species, such as C. sinensis Beck and C. salsa (C. A. Mey) Beck, are also

    used as Cistanches Herba in certain regions of China due to resource shortage. Cistanches Herba is one of the most

    valuable herbal drugs in traditional Chinese medicine, which supplements kidney functions, boosts the essence of

    blood, and moistens the large intestines to free stool (Medicine, 2005). Therefore, it is called “desert ginseng

    ” in China because of the excellent medicinal functions and nourishing effects (Wang et al., 2012). Cistanches

    Herba, a global genus of holoparasitic desert plant, which is primarily endemic in North Africa, Arabic, and Asian

    countries (Nan et al., 2013). The primary producing areas of Cistanches Herba in China are Inner Mongolia and the

    provinces of Xinjiang, Gansu and Qinghai.

        Several chemical groups were isolated from Cistanches Herba, including PhGs (Figure 1), lignans, iridoids, and

    polysaccharides (Chen et al., 2013). Pharmacological studies demonstrated that Cistanches Herba exhibits

    neuroprotective, kidney impotence, laxative, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-

    oxidative, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-tumor effects (Hu and Feng, 2012). And our previous studies have

    distinguished Cistanches Herba from different geographic origins using a combination of DNA barcoding and UPLC-Q-

    TOF/MS technology.

        The Consumer Price Indexdatabase of China reports that 58 drugs from 12 different groups, including glycosides

    of Cistanche capsules and compound Cistanche Yizhicapsules, are authorized for the treatment of AD. Cistanches

    Herba wine and tea are produced in Alashan, Inner Mongolia, China, which might assist in Runchang catharsis and

    enhance the immune, endocrine regulation, and anti-aging systems of the body. Boschnalosides used as a therapeutic

    agent in Japan to treat sexual dysfunction and amnesia, and echinacoside is used in healthcare products in the

    United States to improve immunity (Cheng et al., 2005).

        Some researchers recently focused on the neuroprotective effects of

    Cistanche health products, but these effects have

    not been studied thoroughly (Table 1). This review presents and analyzes recent developments in the

    neuropharmacology of Cistanches Herba and provides a reference for the further study and clinical application of

    this medicinal plant.

        Cistanches Herba medicines have a long history of practical use, but scientists worldwide only began to

    disclose their chemical composition in the1980s. Figure 2 shows an analysis of the related literature. The

    cumulative histogram shows the number of studies increased over time, and the Chinese literature occupies the

    greatest proportion, which reveals the potential research value of Cistanches Herba. Figure 2A shows that the

    neuropharmacology related literature occupies the largest proportion of the nine areas of pharmacology, and this

    topic has become the most important area for research. Figure 2B exhibits the chemical research diversity of

    Cistanches Herba, with a substantial proportion of research on content determination. Further research may focus

    on neuropharmacology and component content.

        Cistanches Herba has a long history as a medicinal plant in China and Japan because of its wide spectrum of

    pharmacological activities. It is commonly called Rou Cong Rong in Chinese, and it was first listed medicinal use

    as a tonic agent in the Chinese Materia Medica Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic (Estern Han Dynasty) 2000 years ago,

    and later recorded in Yao Xing Lun in 1590. The Compendium of Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gang Mu, 1619) documented

    that Cistanches Herba invigorated the kidney to treat kidney deficiencies and geriatric constipation strengthened

    and nourished marrow and essence, protected semen, and moistened dryness to relax the bowels. 

        These properties were also written in Ben Cao Hui Yan in 1619. A total of 200 medicinal books recorded the

    pharmacodynamics and use of Cistanches Herba in Chinese history. Cistanches Herba ranks first in Chinese

    traditional medicine to strengthen prescriptions, which ranks second in anti-aging prescriptions at the same time,

    behind Panax ginseng in past dynasties. Modern pharmacological investigations demonstrated that Cistanches Herba

    was used as a kidney-yang reinforcing Chinese medicinal tonic, but it is also exhibits anti-aging, improves

    memory, and enhances immunity effects (Table 1), which indicate that extracts or constituents from Cistanches

    Herba have a promising future for the treatment of diseases, particularly nervous system disorders. However,

    systematic data on the pharmacological activities of this agent is lacking. It is urgent and important to study

    the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Cistanches Herba deeply in the future.

        Aging is an inevitable process of life. This process involves a series of degenerative changes in tissues and

    organ functions with advancing age. Studies on aging and anti-aging medicines have made significant progress in

    recent years. Therefore, anti-aging drugs are a current and prominent issue in gerontology. The aging process

    reflects a confluence of in vivo and in vitro factors. Aging is closely related to type 2 diabetes,

    atherosclerosis, and AD. Aging is also related to the decreased regeneration of cells, viscera deficiency,

    increased free radicals, body poisoning, and lack of rhythm when eating (Lopez-Otin et al., 2013). Aging is an

    inevitable process, but delaying this process is now possible.

        Several historical Chinese herbal pharmacopeias describe that Cistanche tubulosa supplements possesses anti-aging

    properties. PhGs and oligosaccharides are two types compounds isolated from Cistanches Herba that are the main

    active ingredients of this plant. In vivo studies established an aging mouse model caused by D-galactose. The mice

    were divided into normal control, model, Vitamin E and total glycoside groups, and all groups received different

    doses of various materials. The results suggested that the glycosides exhibited protective effects on the

    hippocampal ultrastructure, and glycosides may play a role in the delay of aging and the prevention and treatment

    of senile dementia via anti-oxidation (Wang X. et al., 2015). Xu et al. investigated the protective effect of

    Cistanches Herba alcohol extract on hepatic mitochondria and established an aging rat model caused by D-galactose.

    Rats were administered Cistanches Herba alcohol extract for 6 weeks. The results indicated that Ca2+-ATP enzyme

    activity was enhanced, and the MDA content in the hepatic mitochondria was reduced. These results further

    suggested that the Cistanches Herba alcohol extract effectively protected hepatic mitochondria in the D-galactose

    aging rat model (Xu et al., 2007). Xu and Liu (2008) examined the anti-aging effect of PhGs isolated from

    Cistanches Herba. The results confirmed that the PhGs improved learning and memory, exhibited antioxidant

    activity, and boosted the immune system. The results also demonstrated that the PhGs exhibited anti-aging effects

    via enhancement of anti-oxidation. The mechanism may be related to the free radical scavenging ability of PhGs.

    Polysaccharides of Cistanches Herba exhibit the same function as PhGs on anti-aging (Xu et al., 2008; Zhang et

    al., 2011). Zhang et al. (2014) also investigated a Cistanches Herba extraction 2014 and found that this extract

    extended life span. The results of studies on echinacoside and acteoside suggest that these components exhibit

    positive anti-aging effects (Zhang et al., 2008; Xie et al., 2009). Many studies of anti-aging involve Cistanches

    Herba, but these works are limited because the anti-aging mechanism is not known. There are three possible

    pathways to anti-aging, including improving immunity function and kidney aging, anti-lipid peroxidation. Immune

    theory of aging said that the decline of immune function is closely related to the aging organism. Thus, the

    immune function of the body can indirectly reflect the aging organism in a certain extent. The raised index of

    thymus and spleen, increased content of IFN-γin serum and decreased content of IL-6, increased capacity of

    peritoneal macrophage phagocytic and lymphocyte proliferation response always can improve the immunity aging, and

    then delay the organism aging. The expression of p53 from human fibroblastic cell down-regulated significantly in

    a dose dependent manner after treatment with echinacoside, and which may be correlated with the up-regulation of

    SIRT1. The PhGs can scavenge different ROS, including. O–2, H2O2 and ?OH, effectively and protect DNA damage

    through scavenging ?OH. In addition, the PhGs also can increase the content of RNS- NO, and then reduce the lipid

    peroxidation. Therefore, the real effective components of Cistanches Herba and what a role in anti-aging are

    important and appealing future research directions.

        Anti-oxidative and Anti-apoptotic Activity

        Cistanches Herba exhibits anti-oxidative, free radical-scavenging and anti-apoptotic activity via different

    mechanisms. Recent studies demonstrated the anti-oxidant activity of Cistanches Herba, particularly in the

    clearing of all types of free radicals in vivo and in vitro, improvement in the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes

    in the body, and inhibition of the formation of lipid peroxide, MDA, and brown fat (Wang et al., 2001; Wu and Fu,

    2004; Luo et al., 2012; Song, 2013). Current studies demonstrated that cell apoptosis or programmed cell death is

    determined by heredity and is related to oxidation (Martin, 2011). Deng used the MTT assay to examine cell

    survival rate, agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA, and flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis. The results

    suggested that the echinacoside extracted from Cistanches Herba exhibited protective effects on TNFα-induced SH-

    SY5Y cell apoptosis (Deng et al., 2005). Nerve cell protection exhibits a close connection with the reduction of

    active oxygen levels in cells, inhibition of caspasc-3 activity and maintenance of a high-energy state of

    mitochondrial membrane potential. Bao et al. (2010) investigated an extract of Cistanche tubulosa and discussed

    its anti-oxidant ability. These researchers conducted an in vitro study to compare the anti-oxidative properties

    of methanol and ethanol extracts. The results suggested that the two extracts exhibited high anti-oxidant ability,

    and 70% ethanol was the best extraction agent of C. tubulosa to ensure improved anti-oxidant activity (Bao et al.,

    2010). The PhGs from Cistanches Herba are considered the effective ingredients for anti-oxidative and anti-

    apoptotic activity in recent studies. The anti-oxidant mechanism is mainly related to the radical-scavenging

    activity. PhGs compounds, which are mostly provided with different amounts of phenolic hydroxyl, can be used as

    hydrogen donor to reductive radicals, and then reach to the purpose of radical scavenging. The

    herbal cistanches

    extract powder
    scavenge the free radicals mainly in two ways, including directly involving in the removal of

    free radicals or blocking their production and regulating the anti-oxidant enzymes related to the free radical

    metabolism in vivo, such as SOD, CAT and GPX (Ko and Leung, 2007). For another, the Glycosides of Cistanches Herba

    can prevent the apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons by inhibiting the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8.

    Therefore, the good oxidation resistance and anti-aging ability of Cistanches Herba may be applied to cosmetics.

    This application may be a new research direction in the future.

        Learning and Memory Enhancement

        Learning and memory are advanced functions of the brain, and these functions are important factors in

    determining intelligence. Learning and memory impairment is a common symptom in different types of encephalopathy,

    such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in childhood, adolescent chorea, lobar atrophy disease,

    neurosis, senile cerebral arteriosclerosis, and dementia. Medicinal research demonstrated that the impairment of

    learning and memory is closely related to the impairment of synaptic transmission in the brain and the metabolism

    of neurotransmitters, other substances, and energy in the brain (Chen, 1993). Modern pharmacological studies

    determined that Cistanches Herba significantly improves learning and memory, and PhGs are the active chemical

    ingredients of this effect.

        Traditional Chinese medicine shows that learning and memory dysfunction exists in the Yang deficiency model of

    the spleen and kidney. Therefore, these two models are more suitable for the study of tonics in traditional

    Chinese medicine. Gao et al. (2005) examined the effects of Cistanches Herba glycosides on the learning and memory

    of kidney Yang deficiency mice. The results of this study demonstrated that the Yang deficiency symptoms of each

    dose group improved, and the number of animal deaths decreased significantly. However, the jumping latency of each

    dose group after hydrocortisone administration was significantly prolonged, and the number of errors during a 5-

    min period was reduced. Therefore, glycosides improved the learning and memory of kidney Yang deficiency mice

    induced by hydrocortisone and reduced the death rate of these animals (Gao et al., 2005). The current researchers

    established a scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment mouse model to investigate the effects of the

    PhGs of Cistanches Herba. The results demonstrated that the PhGs of Cistanches Herba enhanced learning and memory

    (Li, 2011; Liu et al., 2011). Choi et al. (2011) also demonstrated that Cistanches Herba enhanced learning and

    memory via the induction of nerve growth factor. Vary factors related to cerebrovascular disease induce vascular

    dementia. This condition is an acquired intelligence-damaging syndrome of cognitive impairment, which is a primary

    type of senile dementia. Ischemic cerebrovascular disease occurs frequently in many cerebrovascular diseases

    induced by vascular dementia. Traditional medicine and modern pharmacology demonstrated that PhGs play an active

    role in neuroprotection (Feng et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2013; Zhu et al., 2013; Zhang, 2014). The reason why

    Cistanches Herba extract can improve learning and memory is partly due to neuronal cell differentiation, neurite

    outgrowth and presynaptic formation promoted. Cistanches Herba also improved cognitive behavior related to memory

    ability. Therefore, Cistanches Herba is a potential candidate for cognitive enhancement owing to its action as a

    nerve growth factor modulator. However, extensive research is necessary to discover the neuroprotective mechanism

    deeply. Further studies to determine the specific type of PhGs are expected to play a leading role in improving

    learning and addressing memory impairment.

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