Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34706756›Full record

ArticleChinese medicine2021

Comparison of the chemical constituents and anti-Alzheimer's disease effects of Uncaria rhynchophylla and Uncaria tomentosa.

Qing-Qing Xu, Pang Chui Shaw, Zhen Hu, Wen Yang, Siu-Po Ip, Yan-Fang Xian, Zhi-Xiu Lin

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Chinese medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Qing-Qing XuSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Pang Chui ShawSchool of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Zhen HuSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Wen YangSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Siu-Po IpSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Yan-Fang XianSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. lisaxian@cuhk.edu.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5032-0366
Zhi-Xiu LinSchool of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. linzx@cuhk.edu.hk.
Chinese University of Hong Kong · HK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUncaria tomentosa, which has similar chemical constituents with Uncaria rhynchophylla, has been reported to alleviate cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's disease (AD) animal models. This study aimed to compare the chemical constituents and anti-AD effect of the ethanol extracts of U. tomentosa (UTE) and U. rhynchophylla (URE).

methodsThe high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to compare the chemical constituents of UTE and URE. Streptozotocin (STZ) was intracerebroventricularly (ICV) injected into adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to establish AD model. UTE (400 mg/kg) or URE (400 mg/kg) was administrated intragastrically once daily to the rats for 6 consecutive weeks. Morris water maze (MWM) test was conducted to assess the neurological functions in the STZ-induced AD rats. The brain tissues of the rats were harvested for further biochemical assay.

resultsThe MWM test results showed both UTE and URE could significantly improve the learning and memory impairments induced by STZ in rats. Both UTE and URE could significantly inhibit the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, reduce the elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α), enhance activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPx) and increase the protein expression of HO-1. In addition, UTE could decrease the malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Furthermore, both UTE and URE significantly enhanced Akt activation, down regulated the activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β), and induced the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in the STZ-induced AD rats.

conclusionsUTE and URE contained similar chemical constituents. We found for the first time that both of them could ameliorate cognitive deficits in the STZ-induced AD rats. The underlying molecular mechanism involve suppression of tau hyperphosphorylation, anti-oxidant and anti-neuroinflammation via modulating Akt (Ser473)/GSK3β (Ser9)-mediated Nrf2 activation. These findings amply implicate that both of UTE and URE are worthy of being developed clinically into pharmaceutical treatment for AD.

Indexed as

Akt/GSK3β/Nrf2 pathwayAlzheimer’s diseaseRatsStreptozotocinUncaria rhynchophyllaUncaria tomentosa

Identifiers

PMID34706756
PMCPMC8555092
OpenAlexW3209946896

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.