General

Scientific Names: Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc.

Common Names: Hu Zhang, Ban Gen Zi Jin Long, Huo Xue Long, Yin Yang Lian.

BOTANICAL:

来 源： 为蓼科属多年生草本植物虎杖Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb.et Zucc.的根茎和根。

植物特征： 多年生灌木状草本，高达1米以上。根茎横卧地下，木质黄褐色，节明显。茎直立，圆柱形，表面无毛，散生着多数红色斑点，中空。单叶互生，阔卵形至近圆形，长7-12cm，宽5-9cm，先端短尖，基部圆形或楔形；叶柄长1-1.5cm托鞘膜质，褐色，早落。花期7-9月，果期9-10月。

生药材鉴定： 本品多为圆柱形短段或不规则厚片，长1～7cm，直径0.5～2.5cm。外皮棕褐色，有纵皱纹及须根痕，切面皮部较薄，木部宽广，棕黄色，射线放射状，皮部与木部较易分离。根茎髓中有隔或呈空洞状。质坚硬。气微，味微苦、涩。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 含大黄素-8-葡萄糖甙 (polygonin) 、大黄素甲醚-8-葡萄糖甙 (rheochrysin) ，以及游离的大黄素、大黄素甲醚、大黄同酚等，尚含芪三酚甙 (polydatin) 、芪三酚 (resveratol) 、虎杖甙 (cuspidatin) 等，并含缩合鞣质和数种多聚糖。

Efficacy

We have reported recently that resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenolic phytoalexin found in grapes, fruits, and root extracts of the weed Polygonum cuspidatum, is a potent inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation. Because NF-kappaB suppression has been linked with chemoprevention, this prompted us to investigate the chemopreventive potential of resveratrol by testing it against mammary carcinogenesis induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) in female Sprague Dawley rats. Dietary administration of resveratrol (10 ppm) had no effect on body weight gain and tumor volume but produced striking reductions in the incidence (45%; P < 0.05), multiplicity (55%; P < 0.001), and extended latency period of tumor development relative to DMBA-treated animals. Histopathological analysis of the tumors revealed that DMBA induced ductal carcinomas and focal microinvasion in situ (7 of 7), whereas treatment with resveratrol suppressed DMBA-induced ductal carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis revealed that resveratrol suppressed the DMBA-induced cyclooxygenase-2 and matrix metalloprotease-9 expression in the breast tumor. Gel shift analysis showed suppression of DMBA-induced NF-kappaB activation by resveratrol. Treatment of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells with resveratrol also suppressed the NF-kappaB activation and inhibited proliferation at S-G(2)-M phase. Overall, our results suggest that resveratrol suppresses DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis, which correlates with down-regulation of NF-kappaB, cyclooxygenase-2, and matrix metalloprotease-9 expression. (source)

3, 4'-Dimethoxy-5-hydroxystilbene (DMHS) is a hydroxystilbene compound obtained by methylation and acid hydrolysis of piceid (resveratrol-3-O-glucoside) from Polygonum cuspidatum. Herein, we report that DMHS induces programmed cell death or apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells. We found that treatment of HL-60 cells with DMHS suppressed the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 25 microM. DMHS increased internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in a time-dependent manner. The cell death by DMHS was partially prevented by the caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk. DMHS caused activation of caspases such as caspase-3, -8, and -9. Immunoblot experiments revealed that DMHS-induced apoptosis was associated with the induction of Bax expression. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol was increased in response to DMHS. Taken together, our present results indicated that DMHS leads to apoptotic cell death in HL-60 cells through increased Bax expression and release of cytochrome c into cytosol and may be considered as a good candidate for a cancer chemopreventive agent in humans. (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Lee SH, et al., Induction of apoptosis by 3,4'-dimethoxy-5-hydroxystilbene in human promyeloid leukemic HL-60 cells. Planta Med. 2002 Feb; 68(2):123-7.
2. Chang CJ, et al., Oncogene signal transduction inhibitors from medicinal plants. In Vivo. 1996 Mar-Apr; 10(2):185-90.
   
   

IN VIVO:

1. Banerjee S, et al., Suppression of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary carcinogenesis in rats by resveratrol: role of nuclear factor-kappaB, cyclooxygenase 2, and matrix metalloprotease 9. Cancer Res. 2002 Sep 1; 62(17):4945-54.
2. Kimura Y, et al., Resveratrol isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum root prevents tumor growth and metastasis to lung and tumor-induced neovascularization in Lewis lung carcinoma-bearing mice. J Nutr. 2001 Jun; 131(6):1844-9.
   
   

Safety

宜忌: 　孕妇忌服。