Investigation of the differences between the “COLD” and “HOT” nature of Coptis chinensis Franch and its processed materials based on animal’s temperature tropism  

作　　者：ZHOU CanPing1,2, WANG JiaBo1, ZHANG XueRu1,2, ZHAO YanLing1, XIA XinHua2, ZHAO HaiPing1, REN YongShen1 & XIAO XiaoHe1 1 China Military Institute of Chinese Meteria Medica, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing 100039, China 2 College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China 

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2009年第11期1073-1080,共8页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

基　　金：Supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos 2007CB512607 and 2006CB504703);the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No 30625042)

摘　　要：The description and differentiation of the so-called "Cold" and "Hot" natures, the primary "Drug Naure" of Chinese medicine, is the focus of theoretical research. In this study, the divergency between the "Cold" and the "Hot" natures was investigated through examining the temperature tropism of mice affected by Coptis chinensis Franch and its processed materials by using a cold/hot plate differentiating technology. After exposure to C. chinensis Franch, the macroscopic behavioral index of the remaining rate (RR) on a warm pad (40℃ ) significantly increased (P<0.05), suggesting the enhancement of Hot tropism. The internal indexes of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity and oxygen consuming volume decreased significantly (P<0.05), suggesting the decapability of energy metabolism. This external behavior of Hot tropism might reflect the internal Cold nature of C. chinensis Franch. However, the processed materials of C. chinensis Franch exhibited a different Cold nature in temperature tropism compared with crude C. chinensis Franch (CC): the Cold nature of bile-processed C. chinensis Franch (BC) enhanced while the ginger-processed C. chinensis Franch (GC) changed inversely. The changing sequence was consistent with the theoretical prognostication. It is indicated that the external Cold & Hot natures of Chinese medicine may possibly reflect in an ethological way for the changes of animal’s temperature tropism which might be internally regulated by the body’s energy metabolism.The description and differentiation of the so-called 'Cold' and 'Hot' natures, the primary 'Drug Naure' of Chinese medicine, is the focus of theoretical research. In this study, the divergency between the 'Cold' and the 'Hot' natures was investigated through examining the temperature tropism of mice affected by Coptis chinensis Franch and its processed materials by using a cold/hot plate differentiating technology. After exposure to C. chinensis Franch, the macroscopic behavioral index of the remaining rate (RR) on a warm pad (40℃ ) significantly increased (P<0.05), suggesting the enhancement of Hot tropism. The internal indexes of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity and oxygen consuming volume decreased significantly (P<0.05), suggesting the decapability of energy metabolism. This external behavior of Hot tropism might reflect the internal Cold nature of C. chinensis Franch. However, the processed materials of C. chinensis Franch exhibited a different Cold nature in temperature tropism compared with crude C. chinensis Franch (CC): the Cold nature of bile-processed C. chinensis Franch (BC) enhanced while the ginger-processed C. chinensis Franch (GC) changed inversely. The changing sequence was consistent with the theoretical prognostication. It is indicated that the external Cold & Hot natures of Chinese medicine may possibly reflect in an ethological way for the changes of animal’s temperature tropism which might be internally regulated by the body’s energy metabolism.

关 键 词："Cold" and "Hot" natures of Chinese medicine evaluation TEMPERATURE TROPISM ETHOLOGY DRUG process Coptis CHINENSIS Franch 

分 类 号：S567.52[农业科学—中草药栽培]