• Yasunori Nagaki, Seiji Hayasaka, Tomohiro Abe, Xue-Yun Zhang, Yoriko Hayasaka, and Katsutoshi Terasawa.
• Department of Ophthalmology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan. ophthal@ms.toyama-mpu.ac.jp
• Am J Chinese Med. 2003 Jan 1; 31 (5): 729-38.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of extracts of Coptidis rhizoma, Phellodendri cortex and Gardeniae fructus, which are medicinal herbs in Orengedoku-to (Huanglin-Jie-Du-Tang in Chinese), and crocetin (a major component of Gardeniae fructus) on experimental elevation of aqueous flare in pigmented rabbits. To produce aqueous flare elevation, 0.5 microg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was injected into the ear vein, or prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) 25 microg/ml, was applied to the cornea by means of a glass cylinder. Animals were pretreated by oral administration of 150 g/day of food containing 0.15% (w/w) extract powder of Coptidis rhizoma, 0.10% (w/w) extract powder of Phellodendri cortex or 0.15% (w/w) extract powder of Gardeniae fructus for 4 days, or by intravenous injection of crocetin, 0.3, 3, 30 or 300 microg/kg, 30 minutes before aqueous flare elevation. Aqueous flare was measured with a laser flare-cell meter. Aqueous flare intensity was expressed as the area under the curve (AUC) in arbitrary units. The AUC of LPS- and PGE2-induced aqueous flare elevation was 4685 and 1386 arbitrary units, respectively. Pretreatment by oral administration of 0.15% (w/w) extract of Coptidis rhizoma or 0.10% (w/w) extract of Phellodendri cortex did not inhibit LPS-induced aqueous flare elevation. Pretreatment by oral administration of 0.15% extract of Gardeniae fructus suppressed LPS-induced aqueous flare elevation (AUC: 1411 arbitrary units). Pretreatment by intravenous injection of 3, 30 or 300 microg/kg of crocetin-inhibited LPS-induced aqueous flare elevation in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with 3 or 30 microg/kg of crocetin did not inhibit PGE2-induced aqueous flare elevation, but 300 microg/kg of crocetin inhibited PGE2-induced aqueous flare elevation (AUC: 918 arbitrary units).

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