Thermodynamic Investigation On The Bioactive Differences Of Chinese Medicines From Animal Horns And Shells

Medicinal animal horns and shells, mostly valuable Chinese medicines, have been extensively utilized for medical purpose since a very long time ago and have significant pharmacological actions. Medicinal animal horns and shells are commonly used in clinic, such as Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum (velvet antler), Cornu Cervi (deer horn), Cornu Saigae Tataricae (antelope horn), Cornu Caprae Hircus (goat horn), Cornu Bubali (buffalo horn), Squama Manis (pangolin scale), Carapax Trionycis (turtle shell), Carapax et Plastrum Testudinis (tortoise shell), et al. In the view of traditional Chinese medicine theory, there are many significant differences among medicinal animal horns and shells in the aspects of Cold and Hot properties, pharmacological activities and clinical applications. However, from the perspective of modern science, the chemical contents are usual keratin which are very similar in most of the animal horns and shells. So it is necessary to investigate the objectivity and reality of the differences of them in Cold/Hot property and pharmacological actions.In this study, two kinds of bioactive evaluation methods based on thermodynamics including the cold/hot plate differentiating technology and microcalorimetry were employed to investigate the objectivity and reality of the differences in Cold/Hot properties and pharmacological actions among medicinal animal horns and shells. Combined with pharmacological results, the possible mechanism was analyzed preliminarily. In this study, the objectivity of the differences in Cold/Hot property and pharmacodynamic actions of medicinal animal horns and shells were confirmed respectively, providing valuable references for clinical rational use. The main results and conclusions are as follows:(1) In this paper, biological thermoactivities of medicinal animal horns and shells were described by the cold/hot plate differentiating technology. The results indicated that the temperature tropism of mice affected by velvet antler and deer horn were greatly differed from antelope horn, goat horn and pangolin scale respectively.Velvet antler and deer horn could significantly increase the autonomic movement in normal or weak model mice, up-regulate the thermotropism and improve the symptoms of "weak and cold syndrome" in mice, reflecting the internal Hot property of velvet antler and deer horn to some extent. However, the effects of antelope horn, goat horn and pangolin scale on temperature tropism in mice were opposite compared with velvet antler and deer horn, reflecting their internal Cold properties in an objective way, which were consistent with the basic theory of Cold and Hot properties in traditional Chinese medicine.(2)The influences of medicinal animal horns and shells on temperature tropism in mice are correlated with the regulation of serotonin (5-HT) levels in brain.In this study, it is found that the 5-HT levels of brain in mice were significantly increased after affected by antelope horn, goat horn and pangolin scale (vs. normal group, antelope horn group and pangolin scale group P<0.01, goat horn group P<0.05). As a kind of inhibitory neurotransmitter in center, the sensitivity of brain to other fatigue signals will be enhanced whenever the content of 5-HT in brain was increased. With the increasing of movement, mice appeared a fatigue state. It is indicated that the influences of medicinal animal horns and shells on temperature tropism in mice are correlated with the regulation of 5-HT levels in brain.(3)On the side of development and utilization in medicinal value of medicinal animal horns and shells, the results of this study indicated that pangolin scale, as the traditional animal drug for promoting blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis, has obvious central inhibitory effect, providing some useful references for the development and utilization of pangolin scale in its medicinal value.In the study of bioactive differences of Chinese medicines from animal horns and shells using the cold/hot plate differentiating technology, the autonomic movement in mice was significantly increased after treated with pangolin scale, and the 5-HT content of brain and serum in mice were increased significantly compared with control group(P<0.05). It is indicated that pangolin scale, as the traditional animal drug for promoting blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis, has obvious central inhibitory effect.(4)In the aspects of substitutes utilization of medicinal animal horns and shells, when velvet antler was substituted by deer horn, or antelope horn was substitute by goat horn for medical purpose, the dosages of deer horn and goat horn should be added properly in order to gain the ideal therapeutic effect. Furthermore, the dose-efficiency relationship of them should be assessed, and the rational of clinical medication guide should be enacted in the future.As shown in this study, Velvet antler and deer horn could significantly increase the autonomic movement of mice and promote the growth and metabolism of lymphocyte, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Meanwhile, the activity of Velvet antler was obviously stronger than deer horn. In the otherwise, the growth of lymphocyte, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were inhibited after exposure to antelope horn and goat horn, and the inhibitory effect of antelope horn was significantly stronger than goat horn. It is indicated that when velvet antler was substituted by deer horn, or antelope horn was substituted by goat horn for medical purpose, the dosages of deer horn and goat horn should be added properly in order to get ideal effect.In this paper, the bioactivities differences of Chinese medicines from animal horns an shells were investigated based on the two bioactive evaluation methods including the cold/hot plate differentiating technology and microcalorimetry in the view of thermodynamics. In addition, the possible mechanism was preliminarily analyzed in this paper. It confirmed and explained the objectivity of the differences in Cold/Hot property and pharmacological actions, providing some useful references for the clinical rational use of medicinal animal horns and shells. Also, it provided some theoretical basises and technical supports for reasonable utilization and development in medicinal resources of medicinal animal horns and shells.