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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Vascular disease (VD) is a kind of common disease harmful to the health of the middle-aged and elderly, which has the characteristics of long treatment cycle and high recurrence rate, and without effective method to treat so far. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has the characteristics of multi-components and multi-targets to treat diseases. Kai-Xin-San is a TCM formula applied for treating psychiatric diseases such as depression in China for thousands of years, and it has been used in clinical treatment of VD. But up to now, its active composition and mechanism are not clear.
Aim Of The Study: To explore the effective components of Kai-Xin-San, investigate the effect of Kai-Xin-San on angiogenesis, screen and verify the related targets and possible mechanisms of Kai-Xin-San against VD.
Materials And Methods: UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS was performed to identify the chemical components of Kai-Xin-San. The mechanism of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways of Kai-Xin-San in the treatment of VD were explored by network pharmacology. And then, quail chick chorioallantoic membrane (qCAM) assays were used to evaluate the vascular protective activity of Kai-Xin-San. Evaluation of angiogenesis by calculating the relative vessels area. The levels of VEGFA and Akt1 in qCAM were measured by RT-PCR. Twenty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group, model group, Donepezil (0.45 mg/kg) group, Kai-Xin-San low dose group (0.1575 g/kg), Kai-Xin-San high dose group (0.63 g/kg). Two-vessel occlusion (2-VO) rat model is established to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Kai-Xin-San pretreatment. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining is conducted to detect the morphological changes of neurons in the hippocampus.
Results: Data showed that 62 compounds were identified in Kai-Xin-San. The network pharmacology results showed 73 compounds in Kai-Xin-San play a role in the treatment of VD, such as Ginsenoside Rh, kaempferol, and Poricoic acid C. A total of 7 main targets are predicted, including Akt1, TNF and so on. Kai-Xin-San could increase VEGFA and Akt1 expression, promote angiogenesis and regulate the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The results depict that Kai-Xin-San has dose-dependently improved the cognitive function in 2-VO model rats. It has also been showed that Kai-Xin-San can rescue neuron damage in the hippocampus.
Conclusion: The complex chemical components of Kai-Xin-San play a synergistic role in the treatment of VD, and involve multiple pathways and targets. To protect blood vessels by promoting angiogenesis is one of the potential mechanisms of Kai-Xin-San in the treatment of VD. This study reveals that Kai-Xin-San protects the 2-VO model rats from ischemic injury by alleviating neuron damage in the hippocampus.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2023.117652 | DOI Listing |
J Ethnopharmacol
August 2025
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nan Jing, 210000, China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the pathology of depression. The intestinal dysbiosis associated with prolonged use of antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, can adversely affect the efficacy of these medications. Kai-Xin-San (KXS), a traditional Chinese herbal decoction, has been utilized to treat mental disorders with a long history in China.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethnopharmacol
August 2025
Beijing Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 102488, China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Kai-Xin-San (KXS) is a classic prescription for treating affective disorders in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) over millennium. Although antidepressant effects of KXS have been demonstrated in both clinical and preclinical studies, antidepressant constituents and action mechanisms of KXS remain unclear.
Aim Of The Study: To reveal antidepressant constituents and action mechanisms of KXS using the method of "fraction-spectrum-effect-mechanism".
iScience
July 2025
Collaborative Innovation Center of Prevention and Treatment of Major Diseases by Chinese and Western Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan 450046, China.
There has been increasing interest in the connection between AD, gut microbiota, and metabolites. Kai-Xin-San (KXS) has been commonly employed in ancient and modern Chinese clinical trials for the treatment of dementia; however, whether the protective effect of KXS in AD is related to the gut microbiota remains elusive. APP/PS1 mice were used as the model of AD.
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