SCREENING FOR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE FANG FENG TONG SHEN SAN

The ancient Chinese formulation Fang Feng Tong Shen San (FFTSS) consists of 17 components. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-tyrosinase, anti-neuro-degenerative and antimicrobial effects of five commercial preparations of FFTSS and two laboratories constituted mixtures. In-vitro 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), lipid peroxidation (LPO), α-glycosidase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, elastase inhibitory and antimicrobial assays were carried out in order to determine the active potential of FFTSS. All commercial preparations have shown antioxidant properties after applying DPPH and LPO assays of an average IC₅₀ of 117.68µg/ml and 2.86µg/ml, respectively. In addition, all commercial preparations exhibited a moderate inhibition against tyrosinase of an average IC₅₀ of 0.353mg/ml while the activity were higher in the formula without salts and excipients reaching an IC₅₀ of 0.077mg/ml. The anti-neurodegenerative property of FFTSS was weak while the inhibitory activity of elastase was stronger. The formula was able to inhibit α-glucosidase in an average of 60.22%. FFTSS showed stronger effect against Staphylococcus aureus but less antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. In summary FFTSS has shown efficient scavenging effects of superoxide and peroxide radicals as well as a strong anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic potential. Therefore the formulation can be considered as a valuable source of a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-aging agent but also as a candidate in the search for modern pharmaceuticals.