Abstract
A new preparation (PanaWang) containing eleven crude drugs was devised for self-medication to relieve subjective symptoms attendant to life-style diseases. The inhibitory effects of oral administration of PanaWang on the "accelerated atherosclerosis model" in intimal formation in rat carotid arteries after balloon endothelial denudation was examined. Administration of PanaWang 3 days before and 7 days after denudation dose-dependently suppressed the increased intimal thickening. In immunohistochemical analysis performed using a monoclonal anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibody to stain vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the intimal area, administration of PanaWang for 10 days reduced the proliferation of VSMCs. The inhibitory potency of PanaWang on VSMC proliferation partly contributes to its preventive effect on intimal thickening. These results indicated that, PanaWang might be useful for preventing atherosclerosis after endothelial injury resulting from long-term inappropriate life-styles.
