Leeches attenuate blood hyperviscosity and related metabolic disorders in rats differently than aspirin
Research article published in Journal of ethnopharmacology (2019)
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Whitmania pigra Whitman (Whitmania pigra, WP), firstly recorded in the Shennong's Herbal Classic and officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a well-used cardiovascular protective traditional Chinese medicine derived from leeches. Traditional Chinese physicians prefer to prescribe the dried whole body of leech processed under high temperatures. It has been reported that dried WP remains clinically effective. However, the therapeutic mechanism has yet not be clearly elucidated. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was designed to investigate the protective activity of the extract of WP in a high-molecular-weight dextran-induced blood hyperviscosity rat model, and to explore the role of WP in improving blood hyperviscosity related metabolic disorders and to clarify the possible mechanism of metabolic regulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hemorheological parameters were measured with an automated blood rheology analyzer. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological changes in aortic tissues samples. Further, a liquid chromatography-mass-spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics approach was applied to characterize the metabolic alterations. RESULTS: WP has evident attenuating effects on blood hyperviscosity and related metabolic disorders, and the influences are distinct from those of aspirin. The results showed that WP had good effects in reducing blood viscosity and ameliorating histopathological changes in the thoracic aorta in a high molecular weight dextran-induced blood hyperviscosity rat model. The middle dose (2.5 g raw material/kg body weight) of WP exhibited effects equivalent to aspirin (100 mg/kg) on hemorheological and histopathological parameters (P > 0.05). However, when using metabolomics profiling, we found that WP could significantly improve blood hyperviscosity-related metabolic disorders and restore metabolites to normal levels; while aspirin showed little effect. With principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis, WP regulated many more endogenous metabolites than aspirin. With pathway enrichment analysis, the differential endogenous metabolites were involved in cysteine and methionine metabolism, TCA cycle, arachidonic acid metabolism, etc., highlighting the metabolic reprogramming potential of WP against blood hyperviscosity-induced metabolic disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggest that WP has a more potent effect, but a different mechanism, than aspirin in improving either blood hyperviscosity or related metabolic disorders associated with cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Резюме
Whitmania pigra Whitman (Whitmania pigra, WP), firstly recorded in the Shennong's Herbal Classic and officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a well-used cardiovascular protective traditional Chinese medicine derived from leeches.
Почему это важно для гирудотерапии
В данном исследовании изучалось, как экстракт сушёных цельных тушек Whitmania pigra — пиявки, применяемой в традиционной китайской медицине, — защищает от повышения вязкости крови, индуцированного декстраном высокой молекулярной массы, на модели крыс. Для гирудотерапии это имеет высокую значимость, поскольку демонстрирует, что экстракт пиявки снижает вязкость крови, улучшает гистопатологические изменения в аорте и восстанавливает связанные метаболические нарушения более эффективно и посредством иных механизмов действия, чем аспирин. Эти результаты подчёркивают потенциал препаратов на основе пиявок в лечении кардио- и цереброваскулярных заболеваний. Однако исследование является исключительно доклиническим, основанным на модели животных и использующим подвергнутый высокотемпературной обработке порошок пиявок, а не живых пиявок или клиническую популяцию.
Цитирование
Leeches attenuate blood hyperviscosity and related metabolic disorders in rats differently than aspirin
Wang X et al. · Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2019
Связанный клинический контекст
Узнайте, как это исследование связано с клинической практикой
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