Inhibitory effects of Dai-saiko-to (Da-Chai-Hu-Tang) on the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic rabbits

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 209 - 218
• Main Authors: Iizuka, Akira, T. Iijima, Osamu, Yoshie, Fumihiko, Makino, Bunsho, Amagaya, Sakae, Komatsu, Yasuhiro, Kondo, Kazuo, Matsumoto, Akiyo, Itakura, Hiroshige
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.12.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidation; Aorta, Thoracic - drug effects; Aorta, Thoracic - pathology; Arteriosclerosis - blood; Arteriosclerosis - etiology; Arteriosclerosis - pathology; Arteriosclerosis - prevention & control; Atherosclerosis; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Dai-saiko-to; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; General pharmacology; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - blood; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - complications; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - pathology; kampo medicine; KHC rabbits; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Lipids - blood; Lipoproteins, LDL - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rabbits; Time Factors; traditional medicine; Asia; Japan; KHC rabbits; Dai-saiko-to; Antioxidation; Atherosclerosis; Drug combination; Pharmacognosy; Oral administration; Rabbit; Cardiovascular disease; Metabolic diseases; Lipids; Hyperlipoproteinemia; Lagomorpha; Antioxidant; Medicinal plant; Vascular disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Hypercholesterolemia; Treatment; Folk medicine; Animal; Plant origin; Phytotherapy; Dyslipemia
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(98)00083-X

The inhibitory effects of the traditional herbal medicine Dai-saiko-to (Da-Chai-Hu-Tang) on the progression of the atherosclerotic lesions were studied using the spontaneous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) model, Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic (KHC) rabbits. Changes in blood chemistry, pathology and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation were measured in a control group and a Dai-saiko-to-treated group. In the control group, the area of atheromatous plaques of the aorta progressed between week 12 (29.1%) and 26 (51.5%). This progression of atherosclerotic lesions did not happen in the Dai-saiko-to-treated group between week 12 (26%) and 26 (27.4%). Antioxidative effects on LDL were seen in the Dai-saiko-to-treated group in weeks 16 and 18. Dai-saiko-to did not improve the hypercholesterolemia in the KHC rabbits. These results suggest that Dai-saiko-to has inhibitory effects on the development of atheromatous plaque formation in spontaneous FH model rabbits. It is possible that the antioxidative effects of Dai-saiko-to on LDL led to the beneficial effects observed in this study.