Comparative Study for Pharmacological Action of Corydalis Rhizoma Before and after Processing

Objective To clarify the rationality and to provide reasonable usage references of processed Corydalis Rhizoma (CR) in clinic by comparing respectively pharmacological actions including analgesic, anti-inflammation, antiplatelet aggregation and spasmolysis of Yuanhu Zhitong Tablet (YZT) and Yanhusuo Decoction (YD) constituted with raw CR (RCR) or processed CR (PCR). Methods The hot-board, acetic-acid-induced twisting experiments and mouse auricular swelling model by injecting xylene in the abdomen of mouse were adopted to investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the four formulas on Kunming mice; The experiment of contractile activity on isolated rat intestine smooth muscle on Wistar rats was applied to observing the spasmolysis effect of the four formulas; The experiments of platelet aggregation induced by ADP or collagen on Wistar rats by turbidimetry method were used to observe the anti-platelet aggregation effect of the four formulas. Results Compared with RCR in two prescriptions, PCR displayed better analgesic effect (P < 0.05, 0.01), while there was no difference on anti-inflammatory effect; Inhibition of the two prescriptions on smooth muscle spasm was presented well, and the prescription YD with PCR was remarkable (P < 0.05, 0.01); Compared with the blank group, the two prescriptions showed outstanding effects on anti-platelet aggregation (P < 0.01), but no difference between RCR and PCR in two prescriptions. Conclusion PCR can improve the analgesic effect of prescription YZT and intensify the spasmolysis effect of prescription YD, which can be explained by the Chinese medicine processing regulation. Therefore, PCR is suggested to be chosen in YZT and YD used to cure pain symptoms.