Ethnopharmacological relevance: The roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) and Pueraria lobata (Gegen) are principle herbs of Chinese herbal formulae which have long been used to treat cardiovascular diseases.
Aim of study: The present study validated the anti-atherogenic effects of three extracts, Danshen alone (DE), Gegen alone (GE) as well as DGE and interpreted their combination effects statistically.
Materials and methods: The anti-atherogenic effects of the three extracts were studied in three assays with regards to inflammation, foam cell formation and vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) proliferation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production model, macrophage foam cell formation model and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced vSMC proliferation model, respectively. The combination effects of DGE were statistically analyzed using combination index (CI) and fixed-ratio experimental design.
Results: The anti-atherogenic effects of the three extracts including anti-inflammation, anti-foam cell formation and anti-vSMC proliferation were demonstrated in this study. Their combination effects in anti-inflammation, anti-foam cell formation and anti-vSMC proliferation were found to be synergistic, additive and antagonistic, respectively.
Conclusions: This study provided scientific support for the combination use of DGE on atherosclerosis and presented one of the first applications of statistical interpretations of the combination effects of the 2-herb formula.
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