Effects of extracts and isolated compounds from safflower on some index of promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Carthamus tinctorius is used as one of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) materials in prescriptions and composite to promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis, regulate menstruation and alleviate pain for over 2500 years. Modern pharmacological experiments have demonstrated that safflower has wide-reaching biological activities, including dilating coronary artery, modulating immune system, improving myocardial ischemia, anticoagulation and thromboprophylaxis, antioxidation, antihypoxic, antiaging, antifatigue, antiinflammation, anti-hepatic fibrosis, antitumor, analgesia, etc. Materials and methods Platelet aggregation of safflower extract and main constituents in safflower were determined by PAF-induced or ADP-induced platelet aggregation in vitro. Anticoagulation activity was measured by clotting assay of thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) according to the methods provided by the biological reagents provider (Sun Biochemical). Antioxidant effects of safflower were assessed using DPPH radical-scavenging activity test, ABTS radical-scavenging activity test and ferric reducing antioxidant power test. In addition, rats ovary granulosa cell proliferation activity was used for the bio-activity index on regulate menstruation of safflower. Results Safflower extract at the concentration of 0.7 g/mL ( P P P P ) , anhydrosafflor yellow B ( P P P P P P P P P - induced platelet aggregation compared with negative control. 0.125 g/mL of adenosine ( P P P P P P d -glucoside ( P P P P P P , 6-hydroxyapigenin-6-O-glucoside-7-O-glucuronide ( P ) , anhydrosafflor yellow B ( P P P 3+ reduction power test, 5 mg/mL, 2.5 mg/mL and 1.25 mg/mL safflower extract had antioxidant effects. Every compound with each concentration (5 mg/mL, 2.5 mg/mL and 1.25 mg/mL) had significant effect on Fe 3+ reduction power ( P d - glucoside-7-O-β- d -glucuronide, 6-hydroxykaemp-ferol-3,6,7-tri-O-β- D -glucoside and keampferol-3-O-β-rutinoside significantly promoted ovarian granulosa cell proliferation. Conclusion Based on previous researches, the activities of safflower extract and pure compounds isolated from safflower were studied in this paper. This study found some compounds with the effects of anti-platelet aggregation, anticoagulation, antioxidation and ovarian granulosa cell proliferation, and further revealed the possible pharmacological mechanism of safflower.