Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of Liu-Shen-Wan and its individual fractions

J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 30;112(1):108-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.02.008. Epub 2007 Feb 11.

Abstract

Liu-Shen-Wan (LSW), a famous traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of upper respiratory tract inflammation, was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Acetic acid-elevated vascular permeability, carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMC-Na)-induced leukocyte migration and ear edema induced by picryl chloride were used to test anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, acetic acid-induced writhing and hot-plate tests were used to determine analgesic effect. It was observed that LSW exerted significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in these models at doses of 30 and 90mg/kg crude drug in vivo. In addition, LSW potently inhibited proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) stimulated by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin at doses of 0.5-5microg/ml in vitro. LSW was then partitioned with chloroform, methanol, water and mineral fraction. Several fractions inhibited inflammation and pain in varying degrees. Among them, chloroform fraction was the most active in hot-plate and writhing tests, and exerted the remarkable inhibitory effect on human PBMC proliferation. Methanol and water fractions had more suppressive activities in vascular permeability, leukocyte migration and PC-DTH tests. These results suggest that LSW has significantly anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. The chloroform fraction is a key fraction of LSW to the overall anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, while methanol and water fractions also partly contribute to anti-inflammatory activities of LSW.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics / chemistry
  • Analgesics / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology*
  • Capillary Permeability / drug effects
  • Chemical Fractionation
  • Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / drug effects
  • Complex Mixtures / chemistry
  • Complex Mixtures / pharmacology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypersensitivity, Delayed / prevention & control
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / drug effects
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / physiology
  • Male
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR

Substances

  • Analgesics
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Complex Mixtures
  • Liu-Shen-Wan