Analysis of the pharmacological and toxicological effects of Prepared Polygonum multiflorum(prepared he shou wu)
Gu Kewei
(Jiangyin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214400)
Abstract
Objective: To study the pharmacological and toxicological effects of Prepared Polygonum multiflorum(prepared he shou wu).
Method: 130 rats were selected as the research subjects and divided into an experimental group and a control group according to the intervention method. Among them, 60 rats were in the experimental group, depending on the dosage of medication, they were divided into three groups: high, medium, and low; A control group of 60 rats were also divided into three groups based on the dosage of medication: high, medium, and low. At the same time, 10 rats in the conventional intervention group were selected to evaluate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of prepared Polygonum multiflorum.
Result: Comparing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in three groups of rats after medication, it was found that there was no significant difference in data between the high, middle, and low groups of the experimental group rats, while there was a significant difference in data between the high, middle, and low groups of the control group rats (P<0.05). And comparing the diarrhea and immobility of three groups of rats, the results showed that the relevant data of the experimental group rats were better than that of the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Prepared Polygonum multiflorum(prepared he shou wu) can reduce adverse reactions and toxic side effects in rats to a certain extent, which is worthy of attention.
[Keywords]: Prepared Polygonum multiflorum; Pharmacological effects; Toxic side effects
Preface:
Polygonum multiflorum(prepared he shou wu) is an important medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, and there are various clinical usage methods. According to current clinical experience, some patients have developed jaundice and liver dysfunction after receiving treatment with Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. It is speculated that there may be toxic effects in Polygonum multiflorum. Therefore, in this study, a detailed study was conducted on the pharmacological and toxicological effects of prepared Polygonum multiflorum.
1. Materials and Methods1.1. 130 male rats with an average age of (6.32 ± 0.61) weeks and an average weight of (98.42 ± 14.31) grams were selected from the Animal Experimental Center of the Medical College. They were randomly divided into three groups, including an experimental group of 60 rats (high, medium, and low groups), a control group of 60 rats (high, medium, and low groups), and a conventional intervention group of 10 rats. The medicinal materials used are purchased from the local medicinal market, with the origin in Yunnan. After professional identification, they are all raw Polygonum multiflorum that meet the requirements.
1.2. Experimental method: In this study, The preparation method of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb is under normal pressure, heat to boil the raw he shou wu with decoction of black soybean. Till the raw olygonum multiflorum Thunb throughly absorbed the decoction and prepared olygonum multiflorum Thunb is made.
The experimental group of rats were divided into groups and administered with prepared Polygonum multiflorum solutioin by gavage. According to their grouping, the dosage for the high, medium, and low groups was 40g (kg·d), 30g (kg·d), and 20g (kg·d) respectively. The rats in the control group were also divided into 3 groups and given raw Polygonum multiflorum solution by gavage in the same way to control group. The conventional intervention group was given 40g (kg·d) of purified water by gavage daily.
1.3. Observation indicators: Record the ALT and AST indicators, as well as the status of inactivity and diarrhea in rats.
1.4. Statistical processing: When using SPSS22.0 software to process data, the difference is considered significant when P<0.05.
Table 1: Biochemical indicators of rats
| Groups | AST（U/L） | ALT（U/L） | |
| experimental group | High dose | 132.63±13.74 | 42.13±4.62 |
| Medium dose | 133.25±15.11 | 41.15±4.03 | |
| Low dose | 130.42±12.63 | 42.51±4.49 | |
| control group | High dose | 174.85±20.84 | 58.63±7.46 |
| Medium dose | 168.74±16.29 | 59.67±7.02 | |
| Low dose | 155.26±15.37 | 56.49±6.28 | |
| Conventional intervention group | 162.67±17.33 | 50.06±6.31 |
Compared with the inter group data, the AST data of the control group rats showed significant differences (P<0.05); Comparison of ALT data between groups, P<0.05.
At the same time, after comparing the situation of immobility and diarrhea in rats, significant differences were found in the data, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Comparison of Rat Conditions (n)
| Groups | Diarrhea | Immobility | |
| experimental group | High dose（n=20） | 14 | 9 |
| Medium dose（n=20） | 9 | 5 | |
| Low dose（n=20） | 4 | 2 | |
| control group | High dose（n=20） | 20 | 18 |
| Medium dose（n=20） | 16 | 10 | |
| Low dose（n=20） | 11 | 9 | |
| Conventional intervention group（n=10） | 0 | 0 |
Compared with the data of the experimental group, control group, and conventional intervention group, P<0.05.
3. Discussion
He shou wu is a dry root tuber of the plant Polygonum multiflorum, which is a common medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. According to its processing methods, it can be divided into two types: Polygonum multiflorum and prepared Polygonum multiflorum. From the perspective of pharmacological effects, Polygonum multiflorum has the functions of detoxifying and moistening the intestines, while prepared Polygonum multiflorum can benefit essence and blood, tonify liver and kidney, and strengthen muscles and bones. With the deepening of traditional research in the modern medical community, the clinical application value of Polygonum multiflorum(prepared he shou wu) has attracted more and more attention.
From the perspective of chemical composition, Polygonum multiflorum mainly includes substances such as stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones. According to the regulations of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia[2] on Polygonum multiflorum, the content of stilbene glycosides in Polygonum multiflorum should be greater than or equal to 1.0%, and the content of stilbene glycosides in prepared Polygonum multiflorum should be greater than or equal to 0.7%. Among them, anthraquinones mainly include rhein, emodin, etc., which have antioxidant and liver protective effects and play an important role in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and antibacterial. With the increasingly widespread clinical use of Polygonum multiflorum, the toxic and side effects of this drug have gradually become a focus of attention for physicians.
Some studies suggest that compared to processed Polygonum multiflorum extract, raw Polygonum multiflorum extract has greater toxicity [2]. Based on the research data in this article, it can be found that the AST and ALT levels of the experimental group rats after intervention with prepared Polygonum multiflorum are generally lower than those of the control group (P<0.05), indicating that preparation of Polygonum multiflorum can effectively reduce the toxicity of raw Polygonum multiflorum. Meanwhile, based on the relevant data in Table 2, it was found that the diarrhea and diarrhea of the experimental group rats were better than those of the control group P<0.05.
Based on the research results of this article, it can be concluded that in the future clinical intervention stage, in-depth analysis should be conducted on the clinical application of Polygonum multiflorum. Although both prepared and raw Polygonum multiflorum are essentially Polygonum multiflorum, there is a significant difference in toxicity between the two medicines, but there is no significant difference in pharmacological effects. Therefore, a clear definition of the clinical application direction of the two medicines should be made in order to improve the therapeutic effect of the drugs and lay a foundation for improving patient recovery.
In summary, prepared Polygonum multiflorum has a more ideal effect. Its pharmacological effects are not significantly different from those of raw Polygonum multiflorum, but its toxicity is small, so it should be the preferred method for clinical treatment.
References
[1] Li Xuelin, Zhang Fan, Tang Jinfa, et al. Study on the correlation between the effective ingredients of prepared Polygonum multiflorum and its anti-aging effect [J]. Chinese Journal of New Drugs, 2018,27 (: 9): 76-82
[2] Bao Yiqi, Shen Fang, Li Yanglei, et al. The toxic effect and mechanism of ethanol extract of Polygonum multiflorum on human normal liver cell L02 [J]. Chinese Journal of Experimental Prescriptions, 2020, 3 (6): 1-6