Investigation of hemorheological and analgesic properties of Qing-Nao tablets

Purpose: To investigate the hemorheological and analgesic potentials of Qing-Nao tablet (QNT).Methods: Sixty animals were divided into 6 groups (n = 10 for each group): normal, control, positive and 3 QNT-treated groups (QNT-H, QNT-M, QNT-L). Animals in normal and control groups received normal saline orally, while those in positive and QNT groups were orally administered either a suspension of the contents of Nao-luo-tong capsules or QNT. Hemorheological indices, including blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT) and fibrinogen (FIB), were determined. Acetic acid-induced writhing, tail tenderness and hot plate tests, as well as tests on microcirculation and balance/coordination were also carried out.Results: Acute toxicity results showed that QNT is a safe drug. Whole blood and plasma viscosities of the 3 QNT-treated groups significantly decreased (p < 0.05). However, TT levels of the 3 QNT-treated animals significantly increased (p < 0.05), whereas APTT and FIB values decreased significantly (p < 0.01). Moreover, QNT significantly increased analgesia in three animal models (p < 0.05). QNT-H also significantly improved balance and coordination abilities of mice (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These results demonstrate that QNT improves microcirculation and analgesia, and may be a source of promising candidate drugs for the treatment of brain concussion sequelae.