Dendrobium Huoshanense (DH) is regarded as the best quality variety of Dendrobiuma and has been recorded in the classics of all past generations. However, due to the factors of its special growth conditions and over exploitation in the past, the yield of DH was less, leading to the lack of pharmacological research and the reduction of clinical application, and it has not been included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia yet. With the improvenent and increasement of cultivation technique and yield of DH, it is necessary to strengthen the study of its modern pharmacology. According to the Chinese herbs property of DH about sweet, slightly cold and channel tropism of kidney and the basis of previous studies, the kidney-yin deficiency mice induced by thyroxine were used as the model. Dendrobium candidum, collected in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and Liuwei Dihuang pill, a clinical common medicine for treatment of kidney-yin deficiency, were used as control drugs. After 14 days of administration, the general behaviors were observed. The thermotropism behaviors and weight-loading swimming time were recorded. The level of cAMP , cGMP , T3 and T4 in serum were measured by Enzyme immunoassay and radio immunity. T he BLA,BUN,FFA,TG,CK,LDH in serum were detected by colorimetric methods. The hepatin, Na+,K+ATPase and Ca2+ATPase activities in liver were estimated by spectrophotometry. The experimental results show that DH can enhance the anti-fatigue function of kidney - yin deficiency mice, and its mechanism may be related to regulate the activities of energy metabolism enzymes, decrease metabolites accumulation, and then reduce unnecessary energy consumption, which is consistent with its TCM effect of nourishing yin and supplementing kidney. This study reveals the anti-fatigue effect of DH from the correlation of nature and efficacy, which is beneficial to promot rational clinical application and the development of health care products.
Key words: Dendrobium Huoshanense(DH); Anti-Fatigue Effect; Energy Metabolism; Thyroxine; Kidney-Yin Deficiency