Evaluating the antioxidant effects of 147 oral formulations of Japanese Kampo medicines

Researchers from Toho University in Japan investigated the antioxidant activities of 147 oral formulations of Kampo medicines, or traditional herbal medicines from Japan. The study was published in the Journal of Natural Medicines.

• Oxidative stress from the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is linked to the development of various diseases.
• For this study, the team looked at the entire panel of oral Kampo medicines in Japan’s National Health Insurance Drug List.
• They evaluated the antioxidant activity of the formulations using in vitro radical scavenging assays, such as:
  • 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity assay
  • Superoxide anion scavenging activity assay
  • Oxygen radical absorption capacity assay
• Afterward, the team selected three formulations – tsudosan, daisaikoto and masiningan – for their potent antioxidant activity.
• The 2?,7?-dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate assay revealed that all three had inhibited hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in human hepatocellular liver carcinoma HepG2 cells.
• In particular, in vivo treatments showed that tsudosan had antioxidant activity, based on a murine model.

The team concluded that the antioxidant activity of tsudosan could potentially account for its clinical usage against blood stasis.

Learn more about Kampo and other traditional medicines at AlternativeMedicine.news.

Journal Reference:

Sato N, Li W, Takemoto H, Takeuchi M, Nakamura A, Tokura E, Akahane C, Ueno K, Komatsu K, Kuriyama N, et al. COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS OF JAPANESE KAMPO MEDICINES LED TO IDENTIFICATION OF TSUDOSAN FORMULATION AS A POTENT ANTIOXIDANT AGENT. Journal of Natural Medicines. 29 October 2018;73(1):163–172. DOI: 10.1007/s11418-018-1259-x