Metabolic profiling reveals therapeutic effects of Herba Cistanches in an animal model of hydrocortisone-induced 'kidney-deficiency syndrome'

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Wei Jia, Professor and Co-Director of the UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Background: Herba Cistanches (Roucongrong) is effective in treating Shenxu Zheng ('kidneydeficiency syndrome'). However, the mechanisms and systemic metabolic responses to the herbal intervention are unclear. Methods: Using GC-MS-based metabolic profiling, we investigated the metabolic responses to Herba Cistanches intervention in a rat model of the hydrocortisone-induced 'kidney-deficiency syndrome'. Results: The metabolic profiles of the rats after hydrocortisone injection deviated from the predose metabolic state at different time points, ranging from day 1 to day 10, whereas the metabolic profiles of the rats treated with both hydrocortisone and water extract of Herba Cistanches returned to the pre-dose state on day 10. Conclusion: The intervention of Herba Cistanches caused a systemic recovery from the hydrocortisone-induced metabolic perturbation in rats. This study also demonstrates that metabolic profiling is useful in studying therapeutic mechanisms of herbal medicines.

Additional Information

Publication
Chinese Medicine, 3:3
Language: English
Date: 2008
Keywords
Herba Cistanches, kidney-deficiency syndrome, metabolic profiling, hydrocortisone, therapy

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