Study on the Regulation of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA Axis) in Rats with Kidney-Yin Deficiency Syndrome by the Raw and Salt-Water Processing of Phellodendri chinensis Cortex

Shi-ru Jiang, Li Li, Jia-hui Zhao, Xiu-tong Ge, Wen-jing Ren, Yue Zhou, Yang Chen, Fan Zhang, Hui Gao and Tian-Zhu Jia

Background and Objective: Phellodendri chinensis Cortex (PC) is a common medicine used in the clinic to treat Kidney-Yin deficiency syndrome (KYDS) in traditional Chinese medicine and has been proven to have clear efficacy in improving KYDS. Moreover, after salt-water processing of Phellodendri chinensis Cortex (SPC), enhancing its effect of nourishing Yin and tonifying the kidney. This study aims to better understand the efficacy mechanism of PC processed by salt-water in improving Kidney-Yin deficiency syndrome rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, a rat KYDS model was prepared by short-term high-dose gavage of hydrocortisone and pharmacodynamic experiments with multidimensional indicators such as macroscopic signs, HPA axis-related hormone levels, histological lesions, inflammatory factors and immune function, combined with ELISA, RT-PCR, western-blot, immunohistochemical staining, were used to investigate the effects of the raw and salt-water processing of PC. Results: After treatment of different processed products of PC, the symptoms of KYDS were relieved to different degrees in rats of each dosing group, among which the best treatment effect was the closest in the group of SPC and the positive control group, the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and regulatory effects on hypothalamus and adrenal tissue were enhanced after the salt-water processing of PC. The salt-water processing of PC improved the inhibition of HPA axis function in rats with exogenous high-dose hydrocortisone. Conclusion: Both the raw product and the salt-water processing product of PC improved the inhibition of HPA axis function in rats with exogenous high dose of hydrocortisone, the therapeutic effect of PC on KYDS can be enhanced by salt-water processing.

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