Introduce

Paeonol is an effective ingredient extracted from the dried root bark of the Ranunculaceae plant peony and is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice. Paeonol, as the main medicinal ingredient of Danpi, has received increasing attention in recent years. There have been abundant research achievements in its physicochemical properties, pharmacological effects, detection, and extraction, and it has a wide range of application prospects.

Figure 1 Characteristics of Paeonol

Pharmacological action 

Paeonol has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and anti-allergic effects. It has a significant analgesic effect on pain caused by physical or chemical factors such as tail pressure and acetic acid. It has a significant inhibitory effect on inflammatory reactions caused by carrageenan, egg whites, formaldehyde, histamine, serotonin, bradykinin, xylene, and endotoxins. It has an antipyretic significant impact on the increase in body temperature caused by typhoid vaccine, triple vaccine, etc. It inhibits type II, III, and IV hypersensitivity reactions.

1. The effect of Paeonol on the central nervous system: Abdominal injection of acetic acid and tail compression method have shown that Paeonol has analgesic effects on mice by gavage. Paeonol can be injected intraperitoneally or orally, which can calm, hypnotize, and relieve pain, reduce spontaneous activity in mice, and counteract caffeine-induced hyperkinesia in mice. It can significantly prolong the sleep time of mice induced by pentobarbital sodium, and at high doses, it can cause the disappearance of the righting reflex in mice; It can significantly counteract seizures caused by pentylenetetrazol, statins, nicotine, and electroconvulsive therapy. Paeonol can lower the body temperature of normal mice and has a significant antipyretic effect on mice with fever caused by typhoid and paratyphoid vaccines.

2. Antibacterial effect of Paeonol: The inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecalis is 500ug/ml, and the inhibitory concentration against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis is 200ug/ml. The inhibitory concentration for tinea interdactylum is 250ug/ml.

Mechanism of action

Study the effect of phenol on the proliferation of cultured rabbit aortic SMC using crystal violet staining and the 3H-TdR incorporation method. The results showed that adding different doses of Paeonol (10-160ug/ml) on the 6th day of cell growth significantly inhibited cell proliferation and DNA synthesis, with a clear dose-response relationship. Exploring the anti-O2 free radical effect of Paeonol using xanthine xanthine oxidase luminol luminescence, the results showed that Paeonol can inhibit the production of O2- free radicals in cells.

The effect of Paeonol on the metabolism of benzo (a) {B (a) P} in rat liver microsomes showed that Paeonol can significantly inhibit the B (a) P metabolites 9,10-diol-B (a) P and 9-OHB (a) P at a very low dose (25um). This is related to altering enzyme regioselectivity, thereby inhibiting the formation of terminal carcinogens.

Purpose

Paeonol is used as a wind and dampness-dispelling medicine, with sedative, hypnotic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood pressure-lowering effects. In the field of cosmetics; Paeonol can inhibit the production of O2- free radicals in cells, whiten the skin, reduce the deposition of pigments in the skin, reduce stasis and spots, have anti-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, anti-allergic, antiviral and other effects. It has good therapeutic and health effects on pigmentation, muscle pain, skin itching, psoriasis, shingles, and eczema. In addition, it has a good effect on toothpaste, mouthwash, toothpowder, and toothache water.

Toxicity

In terms of toxicity, the lethal dose of Paeonol for mice (observed for 48 hours) is 96mg/kg for intravenous injection, 781mg/kg for intraperitoneal injection, and 3430mg/kg for gavage. Paeonol was dissolved in 50% peanut oil and orally administered to mice for 3 days. The median lethal dose was 4.9 ± 0.47g/kg; Used to treat experimental hypertensive dogs, no abnormalities were observed in liver function, blood count, nonprotein nitrogen in blood, electrocardiogram, etc. Only increased eye secretions were observed, and there was congestion in the sleeping mucosa.