Inhibitory effects of Dai-saiko-to (Da-Chai-Hu-Tang) on the progression ofatherosclerotic lesions in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic rabbits

The inhibitory effects of the traditional herbal medicine Dai-saiko-to (Da- Chai-Hu-Tang) on the progression of the atherosclerotic lesions were studie d using the spontaneous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) model, Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic (KHC) rabbits. Changes in blood chemistry , pathology and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation were measured in a control group and a Dai-saiko-to-treated group. In the control group, the a rea of atheromatous plaques of the aorta progressed between week 12 (29.1%) and 26 (51.5%). This progression of atherosclerotic lesions did not happen in the Dai-saiko-to-treated group between week 12 (26%) and 26 (27.4%). An tioxidative effects on LDL were seen in the Dai-saiko-to-treated group in w eeks 16 and 18. Dai-saiko-to did not improve the hypercholesterolemia in th e KHC rabbits. These results suggest that Dai-saiko-to has inhibitory effec ts on the development of atheromatous plaque formation in spontaneous FH mo del rabbits. It is possible that the antioxidative effects of Dai-saiko-to on LDL led to the beneficial effects observed in this study. (C) 1998 Elsev ier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.