Chemistry and Biological Activities of Selected Popular Chinese Herbs in the US Market-4B - 農業知識入口網

4. Pueraria lobata (Kudzu, Ge Geng)

B. Biological activities

Kudzu extracts have shown antimutagenic activity (49), antidipsotropic activity (50) and suppressed alcohol preference in a pharmacogenetic rat model of alcoholism (51). The flavone extracts of kudzu affect coronary circulation, cardiac hemodynamics and myocardial metabolism in dogs and show hypotensive effect on anesthetized dogs and unanesthetized, hypertensive dogs, decreased vascular resistance in anesthetized dogs, and increased peripheral and cerebral circulation (52,53). Puerarin showed stimulatory effect on α1A-adrenoceptor to increase glucose uptake into cultured C2C12 cells of mice (54). Puerarin, daidzin and daidzein showed antiinebriation and the antidipsotropic effects (55). Biochanin A isolated from Kudzu root displayed the most active inhibition on arachidonic acid release in HT-29 human colon cancer cells, and exhibited its most potent suppression in RAW 264.7 cell without showing cytotoxicity (56).