Screening of Preventive Effects of Herbal Prescriptions in Rat Model of Arterial Thrombosis Induced by Ferric Chloride

Objectives: This study examined the effects of 8 types of herbal prescriptions prescribed to alleviate dementia symptoms in a rat model of arterial thrombosis induced by ferric chloride (FeCl3). Methods: Thirty minutes before 35% FeCl3 treatment, SD rats were intraperitoneally injected with the 8 types of herbal prescriptions, respectively. We tested the effects of the herbal prescriptions on time to occlusion (TTO) in an arterial thrombosis model using a laser Doppler flow meter. In addition, thrombus weight (TW) and collagen fiber damages were evaluated in the same condition. Results: Herbal prescriptions showed the following rank-order based on their TTO: Chong-myung-tang (CMT) > modified Jangwonhan 02 (LMK02) > Toki-shakuyaku-san (TSS) Oren-gedoku-to (OGT) Yokukansan (YKS). In particular, CMT (100 mg/kg, i.p.) and LMK02 (100 mg/kg, i.p.) delayed the TTO the most (14.83 ± 0.98 and 13.67 ± 1.03 min, respectively) compared with the vehicle group (7.95 ± 0.78 min, P<0.001). In addition, CMT, LMK02, and OGT treatment (0.63 ± 0.01, 0.66 ± 0.02 and 0.67 ± 0.01 mg/mm, respectively) significantly reduced thrombus weight compared with the vehicle treatment (0.78 ± 0.03, P<0.001) and also alleviated collagen fiber damage (CMT; 28.40 ± 2.22%, LMK02; 30.79 ± 4.07%, OGT; 26.20 ± 1.48%) in the vessels injured by FeCl3. Therefore, CMT and LMK02 showed the greatest preventive activity in rat model of arterial thrombosis induced by FeCl3. Conclusions: These results provide experimental evidence for traditional use of herbal prescriptions, suggesting that CMT and LMK02 extracts could be used to prevent vascular injury and thrombosis in the early stages of dementia.