According to traditional Chinese medicine, the roles of Angelica sinensis correlate with tonifying the blood and promoting its circulation. Recent studies have shown that extracts of Angelica sinensis have antioxidative and neuroprotective effects. However, the anti-oxidative function of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide has rarely been addressed. In a preliminary experiment from Dr. Tao Lei and colleagues from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in China, Angelica sinensis polysaccharides not only protected PC12 neuronal cells from H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, but also reduced apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential induced by H2O2 treatment.
In a rat model of local cerebral ischemia, they further demonstrated that Angelica sinensis polysaccharides enhanced the antioxidant activity in cerebral cortical neurons, increased the number of microvessels, and improved blood flow after ischemia. Their findings, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 3, 2014), highlight the protective role of polysaccharides isolated from Angelica sinensis against nerve cell injury and impairment caused by oxidative stress.
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