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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Corydalis hendersonii Hemsl. (CH) with heat clearing and detoxifying effects are well described in Tibetan folk medicine. It has been used for centuries in China largely for the treatment of high altitude polycythemia, a pathophysiological condition referred to "plethora" in Tibetan medicine, hypertension, hepatitis, edema, gastritis, and other infectious diseases.AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the cardioprotective effects of Corydalis hendersonii extract in an ICR mouse model of myocardial ischemic injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethanol [85% (v/v)] extract of CH whole plant was prepared, and their chemical profile was analyzed with use of HPLC-DAD and IT-TOF-ESI-MS. A mouse model of AMI was established by ligation of the left ventricular dysfunction (LAD) coronary artery. Mice were randomly divided into six groups (n = 12 per group): sham group, model group, CH groups treated with three doses of CH (100, 200, and 400mg/kg, intragastric), and a positive control group (captopril, 16.67mg/kg, intragastric). Heart function was evaluated by measurement of ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) by echocardiography. Serum levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), plasma levels of angiotensin II (AngII), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in the cardiac tissue homogenate, protein expressions of signal-transduction proteins, p65, IκBα, JAK2, and STAT3 in heart tissues were measured by ELISA and Western blot analyses. Inflammatory cell infiltration and changes in collagen deposition in the myocardial ischemic heart tissues were observed by histopathological examination. Platelet aggregation in vitro was also assessed. RESULTS: CH treatment showed a dose-dependent cardioprotective effect. It significantly reduced left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDs), improved EF and FS as compared to those in the model group; attenuated the increase levels of CK-MB and LDH in serum; reduced expressions of AngII, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß in plasma, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions in the cardiac tissue homogenate; and down-regulated myocardial expressions of p-p65, p-IκBα, p-JAK2, p-STAT3, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in AMI mice. Also, an obvious reduction in inflammatory cell infiltration in the myocardial infarct was found in all CH treated groups. Besides, CH also inhibited platelet aggregation induced by THR, ADP, and AA. CONCLUSION: CH extract exerted a protective effect against myocardial ischemic injury via inhibition of inflammation, myocardial fibrosis, and platelet aggregation. This study demonstrates such protection for the first time and provides a basis for development of CH-based drugs for treatment of ischemic heart disease in clinical settings.

The Meconopsis plants (Chinese: ), belonging to the family Papaveraceae, have been used as traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) for thousands of years. Meconopsis has the effects of clearing heat, reducing swelling, and easing pain, and is mainly prescribed for heat syndromes, hepatitis, pneumonia, and pain in joints. Phytochemical studies have revealed the presence of major isoquinoline alkaloids and flavonoids. Modern pharmacological research has demonstrated its antitumor, hepatoprotective, analgestic, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, antitussive, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, resource availability, in-depth in vivo pharmacological study and qualitative and quantitative analysis are still insufficient and deserve further efforts. This paper provides a comprehensive advance on the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, and pharmacological studies of the genus, in hopes of promoting a better understanding of their medicinal values.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was established to simultaneously determine the seven bioactive lignans in <i>Herpetospermum caudigerum</i>, namely ent-isolariciresinol (<b>1</b>), dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (<b>2</b>), herpetrione (<b>3</b>), herpetin (<b>4</b>), herpetetrone (<b>5</b>), herpetotriol (<b>6</b>) amd herpetal (<b>7</b>). The HPLC assay was performed on a Restek Pinnacle DB C<sub>18</sub> column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid within 65 min. The detection wavelength was 240 nm. The flow-rate was 1.0 mL/min. All calibration curves showed good linearity (<i>r</i>² > 0.9998) within test ranges. The method was reproducible with intra- and inter-day variation of less than 1.98%. The method provided good accuracy with recoveries in the range 95.19-102.64% with RSDs less than 1.52%. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of seven constituents in 15 <i>H. caudigerum</i> samples collected from different cities. The results indicated that the developed assay could be considered as a suitable quality control method for <i>H. caudigerum</i>. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.