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Review
. 2016:2016:8958721.
doi: 10.1155/2016/8958721. Epub 2016 Mar 28.

Therapeutic Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Spinal Cord Injury: A Promising Supplementary Treatment in Future

Qian Zhang  1 , Hao Yang  1 , Jing An  1 , Rui Zhang  1 , Bo Chen  1 , Ding-Jun Hao  2
Affiliations
Review

Therapeutic Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Spinal Cord Injury: A Promising Supplementary Treatment in Future

Qian Zhang et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016.

Abstract

Objective. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder caused by trauma. Pathophysiological events occurring after SCI include acute, subacute, and chronic phases, while complex mechanisms are comprised. As an abundant source of natural drugs, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) attracts much attention in SCI treatment recently. Hence, this review provides an overview of pathophysiology of SCI and TCM application in its therapy. Methods. Information was collected from articles published in peer-reviewed journals via electronic search (PubMed, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and CNKI), as well as from master's dissertations, doctoral dissertations, and Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Results. Both active ingredients and herbs could exert prevention and treatment against SCI, which is linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, or antiapoptosis effects. The detailed information of six active natural ingredients (i.e., curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, ligustrazine, quercitrin, and puerarin) and five commonly used herbs (i.e., Danshen, Ginkgo, Ginseng, Notoginseng, and Astragali Radix) was elucidated and summarized. Conclusions. As an important supplementary treatment, TCM may provide benefits in repair of injured spinal cord. With a general consensus that future clinical approaches will be diversified and a combination of multiple strategies, TCM is likely to attract greater attention in SCI treatment.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structures of natural compounds ((a) curcumin; (b) resveratrol; (c) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG); (d) ligustrazine; (e) quercitrin; (f) puerarin).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structures of major constituents in Danshen (danshensu, salvianolic acids B and C; tanshinones Ι, ΙΙ A, and ΙΙ B, and tanshinol A).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structures of major constituents in Ginkgo, Ginseng, Notoginseng, and Astragali Radix ((a) structures of ginkgolides A, B, C, and J and bilobalide in Ginkgo; (b) structures of ginsenosides Rb1, Re, and Rg1 in Ginseng; (c) structures of notoginsenoside R1 in Notoginseng; (d) structures of astragalosides I–IV in Astragali Radix).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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