中藥采坤茶的抗氧化力以及雌激素活性研究

ANTIOXIDATIVE EFFECTS AND ESTROGENIC ACTIVITY OF CHINESE HERBS CHARMING-QUEEN TEA

補充女性荷爾蒙是更年期婦女為了緩解停經症候群諸多不適所採用的常規療法，但是近年來許多研究顯示傳統的荷爾蒙替代療法有很多副作用，因此從中草藥中找尋具有雌激素作用的藥物，以取代傳統荷爾蒙替代療法，具有重要的臨床價值，也是本研究的目的。本研究針對由紅棗、黑大豆、黑木耳所組成的采坤茶粗萃取物，偵測其抗氧化作用及雌激素活性。在抗氧化實驗方面，采坤茶清除2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl（DPPH）自由基的能力，與保護微脂粒不被三氯化鐵氧化的能力隨采坤茶濃度的上升而增加，在濃度為78 mg/mL 時，清除DPPH 的能力可達到與0.1 mg/mL 的Vitamin C 相近，且采坤茶的清除DPPH 能力比紅棗、黑大豆或黑木耳其中任一種藥物單獨使用時都高。在濃度為8 mg/mL 時，微脂粒的保護作用與Vitamin E 相似。雌激素活性以雌鼠子宮增生試驗測定，將采坤茶餵食斷奶且未成熟的ICR 母鼠，測量子宮濕重及母鼠體重，並將母鼠子宮進行病理切片，發現高濃度達十倍的采坤茶可以明顯增加子宮濕重與體重比，且可以增加子宮上皮的厚度及有絲分裂細胞數，而一倍采坤茶則無此作用。由本研究結果顯示，由紅棗、黑大豆、黑木耳所組成的采坤茶粗萃取物，不但具有清除自由基的抗氧化作用，在動物實驗中更可以證明具有明顯的雌激素活性。Supplement of estrogens is conventional treatment for climacteric women to release postmenopausal symptoms. However, plenty of studies reviewed that traditional hormone replacement therapy induced many side effects. Our specific aim in this study is to look for Chinese herbs with estrogen-like activity. This study detected antioxidative effects and estrogenic activity of extract from Charming-Queen tea (C.Q. tea) which composed of fructus jujubea, black bean and Jew’s ear. The antioxidative study showed dose dependence of C.Q. tea concentration with scavenging effect of 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals and the protective effect of liposomes from ferric chloride. At the concentration of 78 mg/mL, C.Q. tea acted similar scavenging effect as 0.1 mg/mL Vitamin C. The DPPH scavenging activity of C.Q. tea is higher than any of the single fructus jujubea, black bean or Jew’s ear. At the concentration of 8 mg/mL, C.Q. tea acts the similar liposome protective activity as Vitamin E. Estrogen-like activity was determined via uterotrophic assay. After feeding immature ICR mice with C.Q. tea, both uterine weights and body weights were measured. The results showed that ten times C.Q. tea can show an increase in uterine wet ratio. In addition, uterine biopsy showed higher concentration of C.Q. tea can increase the thickness of epithelium and the numbers of mitotic cells but lower concentration of C.Q. tea didn’t. We therefore concluded that C.Q. tea have antioxidative effect and estrogen-like effect in the animal model.