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a b s t r a c t Background: Agents currently used for the treatment and prevention of thrombosis have a number of side effects. We conducted this study to develop antithrombotic agents from herbs that are used in food. Methods: The 80% (v/v) ethanol extracts of Phyllostachys pubescens leaf (PL) and Mume Fructus (MF) and their combinations—2:1 (PM21), 1:1 (PM11), and 1:2 (PM12)—were evaluated on rat platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in vitro and on arteriovenous shunt thrombosis after 3 days of oral treatment in rats in vivo. Results: At 100 g/mL, PM21 and PM11 inhibited in vitro ADP-induced aggregation by 44.0 ± 4.3% and 30.0 ± 3.2%, respectively, whereas PL, MF, and PM12 weakly or scarcely inhibited ADP-induced aggregation by 3.9 ± 3.2%, 13.0 ± 2.7%, and 5.2 ± 1.3%, respectively. The IC50 values of PM21 on ADP-, collagen-, and thrombin-induced platelet aggregations were 135.6 ± 7.4 g/mL, 142.7 ± 5.8 g/mL, and 186.5 ± 9.7 g/mL, respectively. In an in vivo rat arteriovenous-shunt thrombosis model, thrombus weight was significantly decreased after the oral administration of 400 mg/kg PL (27.8 ± 3.0%, p < 0.01) or MF (35.2 ± 2.1%, p < 0.01), and with a good accord to the in vitro results, the combination of PL and MF in the ratio of 2:1, PM21 (60.9 ± 1.2%, p < 0.001), showed a superior antithrombotic effect to those of individual extracts. At dosages of 200 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 50 mg/kg, PM21 dose-dependently decreased thrombosis weight (ED50, 314 mg/kg). Conclusion: These results suggest that combination preparations of PL and MF, especially their 2:1 combination, can increase antiplatelet and antithromboticeffects more than PL and MF alone, offering evidence for a potential novel combination antithrombotic therapy.

PKA inhibitor which decreased hypertonic stress-induced AQP2 expression. On the other hand, pretreatment with ORS attenuated hypertonic stress-induced cell death. Hypertonic stress-induced Bax or caspase-3 expression was decreased by ORS, resulting in anti-apoptotic effect. Conclusion: Taken together, the present data suggest that the beneficial effect of ORS in water balance and apoptosis against in vitro hypertonic stress of renal collecting ducts. Contact: So Min Lee, dasonya@kiom.re.kr

Purpose: To investigate the hepatoprotective effects of Panax ginseng C.A Meyer extract (PGE) and its corresponding mechanisms using radiation-induced liver disease. Methods: C57/BL6 mice were orally administered with PG (0, 25, 50 or 100mg/kg) or intraperitonealy injected melatonin (20mg/ kg) for 4 consecutive days before 15Gy X-ray radiation exposure 1 hr after the last administration of PGE. Hepatic triglyceride (TG), histopathology, oxidative stress parameters, antioxidant components, inflammatory cytokines, and apoptosis signals were examined at 10 days after radiation. Results: The irradiation markedly altered the steatotic alteration by histological examination andmeasuring hepatic TG in the tissue. Those alterations, however, were significantly attenuated by PGE. Immunohistochemistry examination showed the 4-hydroxynonenal signals were enhanced by radiation, while pre-treatment with PGE remarkably reduced them. Pretreatment with PGE not only markedly exerted to reduce both total reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in hepatic tissue level. Radiation cased remarked depletion of total glutathione (GSH) contents and decreases of antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide distumates, catalase, and GSH-reducatse in hepatic protein levels, whereas pre-treatment with PGE significantly exerted to normalize them. Inflammatory cytokines including TNF, IL-1 and IL-6 were notably increased in hepatic tissues due to radiation, and then these were efficiently attenuated by pre-treatment with PGE. Moreover, pre-treatment with PGE significantly blocked the apoptotic signals by measuring TUNEL assay, western blot, and gene expression levels in hepatic tissue. Conclusion:Collectively, above findings evidenced that PGE beneficially prevent from RILI, and its corresponding mechanisms involved the inhibition of fat accumulation, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and apoptosis signals. Contact: Hyeong-Geug Kim, winakim@dju.kr