General

Scientific Names: Undaria pinnatifida (Harv.) Suring.

Common Names: Qun Dai Cai, Qun Dai, Hai Jie Cai.

BOTANICAL:

来 源： 为翅藻科植物裙带菜Undaria pinnatifida（Harv.）Sur.的干燥叶状体。

植物特征： 叶高 l～2米，宽50～100厘米，叶中央由柄延伸成中肋直抵叶端，叶面上散布着许多黑色小斑，叶表生有无色丛毛。藻体快成熟时，柄边缘狭长的龙根部生长快速，形成许多木耳状重叠皱招。鲜藻体浓褐色、褐绿色，加工脱水后呈茶褐色、黑褐色。 裙带菜在辽宁、山东沿海及浙江省舟山嵊泗列岛均有分布，有些地区现已发展养殖。收割期从3月中旬前后开始，4月中旬结束。

生药材鉴定： 全体呈棕绿色，质薄而脆，多已破碎。用水浸软后即膨胀呈扁平的叶状，中央有一筋肋，并溶出大量粘液如琼脂样，极易剥离为二层。气腥，味咸。产浙江。以上三种均以整齐、质厚、无杂质者为佳。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 裙带菜含碘、溴、钙约1．8%、藻胶酸、1，4-噻嗪烷-3-羧酸S-氧化物（1， 4-Thiazane-3-carboxylic acidS-oxide）、核黄素210 ～1000微克%（二份干品）、维生素B120．7微克%（鲜品）、丙氨酸、甘氨酸、脯氨酸、别异亮氨酸（Alloisoleucine）等氨基酸、有机酸约1．6％。从甲醇抽提物中还分离出亚麻酸甲酯、植物醇（Phytol）、棕榈酸、岩藻甾醇（Fucosterol）、大褐马尾藻甾醇（Saringosterol）、无羁萜（Fridelin）、黑麦草内酯（Loliolide）、甘露醇。从Laminaria angustata和Ecklonia cava中还分离出海带氨酸（Laminine，即5-氨基-5-羧基戊基三甲铵）。

Efficacy

Some dietary fibers originated from insects such as silkworm (Sericin) and others along with constituents of several representative seaweeds such as wakame Undaria pinnatifida; hijiki Hizikia fusifome; and kombu Laminaria japonica, were found to have fairly large reaction rates determined by quenching experiments of emission spectra in the near-infrared region lambdamax 1270 nm for singlet oxygen 1O2, Cypridina luminescence method for superoxide, and peroxide value (POV) for autoxidation. The determined reaction rates are between 10(3)-10(5) (g/L)(-1) s(-1) for the insect and the plant dietary fibers; the larger ones are as large as that of ascorbic acid, 1.93 x 10(4) (g/L)(-1) s(-1) for singlet oxygen. Most of these seaweed constituents also showed antioxidative activity against autoxidation and superoxide as well as their immunological enhancing activity. These results suggest a possibility that dietary fibers that are supposed to prevent the large-intestine cancer by their physical properties may prevent the cancer, at least in parts, by their chemical, antioxidative activity. (source)

The effect of fucoxanthin, from the edible seaweed Undaria pinnatifida on viability of colon cancer cells and induction of apoptosis was investigated. Fucoxanthin remarkably reduced the viability of human colon cancer cell lines, Caco-2, HT-29 and DLD-1. Furthermore, treatment with fucoxanthin induced DNA fragmentation, indicating apoptosis. The DNA fragmentation in Caco-2 cells treated with 22.6 microM fucoxanthin for 24 h was 10-fold higher than in the control. Fucoxanthin suppressed the level of Bcl-2 protein. Also, DNA fragmentation induced by fucoxanthin was partially inhibited by a caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk. Moreover, combined treatment with 3.8 microM fucoxanthin and 10 microM troglitazone, which is a specific ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma, effectively decreased the viability of Caco-2 cells. However, separate treatments with these same concentrations of fucoxanthin nor troglitazone did not affect cell viability. These findings indicate that fucoxanthin may act as a chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic carotenoid in colon cancer cells by modulating cell viability in combination with troglitazone. (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Suzuki N, et al., Antioxidative activity of animal and vegetable dietary fibers. Biofactors. 2004; 21(1-4):329-33.
2. Hosokawa M, et al., Fucoxanthin induces apoptosis and enhances the antiproliferative effect of the PPARgamma ligand, troglitazone, on colon cancer cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 Nov 18; 1675(1-3):113-9.
3. Maruyama H, et al., Antitumor activity and immune response of Mekabu fucoidan extracted from Sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida. In Vivo. 2003 May-Jun; 17(3):245-9.
4. Cooper R, et al., GFS, a preparation of Tasmanian Undaria pinnatifida is associated with healing and inhibition of reactivation of Herpes. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2002 Nov 20; 2:11. Epub 2002 Nov 20.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Safety

宜忌: 脾胃虚寒蕴湿者忌服。①《食疗本草》：“下气，久服瘦人。”②《品汇精要》：“妊娠亦不可服。”③《医学入门》：“胃虚者慎服。”