Cassiae semen: A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology

Dong, Xiaoxv; Fu, Jing; Yin, Xingbin; Yang, Chunjing; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Wenping; Du, Xueying; Wang, Qingling; Ni, Jian

Hepatoprotective activity. It was recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica that Cassiae semen exhibited the functions of nourishing the liver and improving vision (83) . In Korea, the aqueous extract of C. tora L. seeds has been used for the protection of the liver. A weak anti-hepatotoxic activity in CCl 4 -induced mice was observed when the drug was administered orally at a dose of 670 mg/kg (84) . The methanol extract of C. tora L. seeds exhibited significantly protective effects in primary cultured hepatocytes against CCl 4 and toxicity. A total of two anthraquinone glycosides (compounds 44 and 45) and three naphthoypyrone glycosides (compounds 49, 51 and 53) from the methanol extract of C. tora seeds were the primary chemical constituents (42, 50) . The preventative effects of Cassiae semen on acute liver injury in mice induced by CCl 4 have also been investigated (85, 86) . When compared with the control group, varying concentrations of the aqueous extract of Cassiae semen significantly increased the serum levels of SOD, and decreased the serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and MDA. These results indicate that Cassiae semen is potentially beneficial in the treatment or prevention of hepatic damage (85, 86) . In addition, the ethanol extract of Cassiae semen has been observed to increase the serum levels of SOD and to decrease the serum levels of TG, TC, MDA, AST and ALT (86). Total anthraquinones from Cassiae semen exhibited a protective effect on alcohol-induced acute liver injury in mice by regulating fat metabolism, improving liver function and increasing the mRNA and protein expression levels of PPAR-γ (10, 87) .