Health-Promoting Properties of Eucommia ulmoides : A Review

Abstract

Eucommia ulmoides
(EU) (also known as “Du Zhong” in Chinese language) is a plant containing various kinds of chemical constituents such as lignans, iridoids, phenolics, steroids, flavonoids, and other compounds. These constituents of EU possess various medicinal properties and have been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) as a folk drink and functional food for several thousand years. EU has several pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiaging, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. Hence, it has been widely used solely or in combination with other compounds to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and neurological diseases. This review paper summarizes the various active ingredients contained in EU and their health-promoting properties, thus serving as a reference material for the application of EU.

Full text

Review Article
Health-Promoting Properties of Eucommia ulmoides:AReview
Tarique Hussain,1,2 Bi’e Tan,1,3 Gang Liu,2Oso Abimbola Oladele,4Najma Rahu,5
M. C. Tossou,1,2 and Yulong Yin1
1Observation and Experiment Station of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South-Central China,
Ministry of Agriculture, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production,
Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125, China
2University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10008, China
3Hunan Collaborative Innovation Center for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Changsha, Hunan 410000, China
4Department of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production, Federal University of Agriculture,
Abeokuta 110101, Nigeria
5Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Sindh Agriculture University,
Tando Jam, Sindh 70050, Pakistan
Correspondence should be addressed to Bi’e Tan; bietan@isa.ac.cn
Received  November ; Accepted  January 
Academic Editor: Il-Moo Chang
Copyright ©  Tarique Hussain et a l. is is an open access article distributed under the CreativeC ommons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Eucommia ulmoides (EU) (also known as “Du Zhong” in Chinese language) is a plant containing various kinds of chemical
constituents such as lignans, iridoids, phenolics, steroids, avonoids, and other compounds. ese constituents of EU possess
various medicinal properties and have been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) as a folk drink and functional food
for several thousand years. EU has several pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inammatory, antiallergic,
antimicrobial, anticancer, antiaging, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. Hence, it has been widely used solely or
in combination with other compounds to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction, cancer, metabolic
syndrome, and neurological diseases. is review paper summarizes the various active ingredients contained in EU and their health-
promoting properties, thus serving as a reference material for the application of EU.
1. Introduction
Eucommia ulmoides (EU) (commonly called “Du Zhong” in
Chinese language) belong to the family of Eucommiaceae,
a genus of the small tree native to Central China [].
is plant is widely cultivated in China on a large scale
because of its medicinal importance. About  compounds
have been isolated from EU which include lignans, iridoids,
phenolics, steroids, and other compounds. Complementary
herbs formula of this plant (such as delicious tea) has
shown some medicinal properties. e leaf of EU has higher
activity related to cortex, ower, and fruit [, ]. e leaves
of EU have been reported to enhance bones strength and
body muscles [], thus leading to longevity and promoting
fertility in humans []. Delicious tea formula made from
the leaf of EU was reported to reduce fattiness and enhance
energy metabolism. Flavonoid compounds (such as rutin,
chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and caeic acid) have been
reported to exhibit antioxidants activity in the leaves of EU
[].
Although there has been enough literature on phyto-
chemical properties of EU, few studies however existed on
the pharmacological properties of the various compounds
extracted from the barks, seeds, stems, and leaves of EU.is
review paper will elucidate detailed information regarding
dierent compounds extracted from the various parts (barks,
seeds, stem, and leaf) of EU and the prospective uses of these
compounds in health-promoting properties with scientic
lines of evidence and thus provide a reference material for the
application of EU.
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2016, Article ID 5202908, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5202908

 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
2. Chemical Composition of
Eucommia ulmoides
Various compounds isolated from dierent parts of EU are
shown in Table .
2.1. Lignans and Iridoids. Lignans and their derivatives
are the key components of EU []. To date,  lignans
(such as bisepoxylignans, monoepoxylignans, neolignans,
andsesquilignans)havebeenisolatedfrombark,leaves,
and seeds of EU. Iridoid glycoside, a class of secondary
metabolites, is the second main component of EU. Iridoids
are typically found in plants known as glycosides. Twenty-
four iridoids have been isolated and identied from EU
(Table ).ese isolated compounds include geniposidic
acid, aucubin, and asperuloside which have been reported
to have wide pharmacological properties [–]. Two new
compounds of iridoids, Eucommides-A and -C, have recently
been isolated. ese two natural compounds are considered
as conjugates of iridoid and amino acids. However, the
mechanism underlying their activity is not available [].
2.2. Phenolic Compounds. Phenolic compounds which are
derivedfromthefoodshavebeenreportedtohavepositive
impactonhumanhealth[,].Aboutphenoliccom-
pounds have been isolated and identied from EU []. Total
content of phenolic compounds (in gallic acid equivalents
of all the extracts) was analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu
phenol reagent. Eects of seasonal variation on the contents
of some compounds and antioxidants have been reported.
Within the same year, higher contents of phenolics and
avonoidswerediscoveredintheleavesofEUinAugust
and May, respectively. Rutin, quercetin, geniposidic acid, and
aucubin existed in higher concentration in May or June [].
Moreover,higheractivityof,-diphenyl--picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) radical scavenging activity and metal ion chelating
ability were found in the leaves of EU harvested in August.
Increased content of food antioxidants was also reported in
May when compared to other periods of the year []. e
leaf of EU has been found to be a rich source of aminoacids,
vitamins, minerals, and avonoids such as quercetin, rutin,
and geniposidic acid [, ]. A total of  avonoids have been
isolated from Eucommia plants []. Rutin and quercetin are
the most important avonoids []. Flavonoids are important
compounds which are common in nature and are considered
as secondary metabolites and function as chemical messen-
gers, physiological regulators, and cell cycle inhibitors.
2.3. Steroids and Terpenoids. Six steroids and ve terpenoids
have been extracted and categorized from EU. ese
include 𝛽-sitosterol, daucosterol, ulmoprenol, betalin,
betulic acid, ursolic acid, eucommidiol, rehmaglutin C, and
,𝛼,,𝛼-tetrahydro--hydroxymethyl-cyclopenta[c]pyran-
-carboxylic methyl ester which was specically isolated
fromthebarkofEU[].Loliolidehasalsobeenisolated
from the leaves [].
2.4. Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides from EU for  days
at the concentrations of – mg/kg were reported to
exhibit protective eects on kidneys as observed by malon-
aldehyde and glutathione levels aer renal perfusions [].
Histological examination also showed evidence of antiox-
idative properties. Extracts from the bark of EU using %
ethanol also showed protective eects against cadmium at
– mg/kg []. Histological examination also showed
that EU in combination with Panax pseudoginseng at %
and % weight, respectively, for six weeks at a dose rate of
.–. mg/kg exerted light protective eects on glomerular
ltration rate []. Two new polysaccharides have been sepa-
rated from EU, which are eucomman A and B [].
2.5. Other Ingredients and Chemicals. Amino acids, microele-
ments, vitamins, and fatty acids have also been isolated
from EU [, –]. Sun et al. also discovered new com-
pounds such as n-octacosanoic acid, and tetracosanoic-,-
dihydroxypropylester from EU [].
Fatty acid composition of oil extracted from the seed of
EU showed dierent concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty
acids such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid (.% of total
fatty acids, TFAs), and linolelaidic acid (.% of TFAs).
Meanwhile, the main monounsaturated fatty acid isolated
from the seed was found to be isoleic acid (.% of TFAs).
Dominant saturated fatty acids isolated include palmitic acid
and stearic acid which represent .% and .% of TFAs,
respectively [].
3. Health-Promoting Compounds of
Eucommia ulmoides
3.1. Protective Eects on Cardiovascular System. In Chinese
traditional medicines, Eucommia is considered as a major
herbal tonic for cardiac patients. Eucommia bark extract is an
active component used for antihypertensive formulations. It
has been conrmed in many human as well as animal models
as a vasorelaxant. Lignan from EU when administered to rats
of the Okamoto strain (SHR) at the dose rate of  mg/kg
for  weeks resulted in improved vascular remodeling and
reduced mean arterial blood pressure. EU minimizes blood
pressure at the dose of –mg/kg. However, in high
fructose fed diet, it develops insulin resistance and hyper-
tension [–]. Supplementation of  and  mg of EU
for  weeks and thrice daily for  weeks showed minimal
reduction in blood pressure and reduction in systolic and
diastolic blood pressure []. Antihypertensive eect on the
parasympathetic nervous system has been reported following
the application of EU []. EU also serves as a vasorelaxative
agent depending on nitric oxide and assumed to be linked
with potassium channels []. EU has beta blocking potential
which at .% w/v reduces isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis
from . to . times the buer control []. EU has been
demonstrated to prevent hypertensive remodeling which is
associated with aldose reductase inhibition []. e appli-
cation of lignans from EU under condition of hypertension
due to vascular remodeling was reported to serve as a new
therapeutic agent [].
EU also showed antihyperlipidemic properties by sup-
pressing hepatic fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis [].
In hyperlipidemic hamsters, dietary supplementation with

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 
T : Compounds isolated from various parts of Eucommia ulmoides.
Category Compounds References
Bark of Eucommia ulmoides
Lignans
(+)--Hydroxypinoresinol-󸀠,󸀠󸀠-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)--Hydroxypinoresinol-󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)--Hydroxypinoresinol-󸀠󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Epipinoresinol []
(+)-l-Hydroxypinoresinol []
(+)-Medioresinol []
(+)-Medioresinol-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Pinoresinol []
(+)-Pinoresinol-󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Pinoresinol-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Pinoresinol--O-𝛽-D-glucopyranosyl(–)-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Syringaresinol []
(+)-Syringaresinol-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Eucommin A (+)-medioresinol-󸀠-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Liriodendrin (+)-syringaresinol-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Phenolics
Astragalin [, ]
Isoquercetin [, ]
Quercetin []
Quercetin--O-galactoside (hyperin) []
Quercetin--O-xyloglucoside []
Rutin [–]
Wogonside []
(−)-Epieateehin []
(±)-reo-guaiacyl glycerol []
Caeic acid []
Catechin []
Chlorogenic acid [, ]
Coniferol []
Erythro-guaiacylglycerol-𝛽-coniferyl aldehyde ether []
Eucophenoside []
Methyl chlorogenate []
Protocatechuic acid []
reo-guaiacylglycerol-𝛽-coniferyl aldehyde ether []
Vanillic acid []
Iridoids
Deoxyeucommiol []
Eucommiol-II []
Eucommiside-I []
Genipin []
Geniposide []
Geniposidic acid [, ]
Monoepoxylignans
(−)-Olivil-󸀠,󸀠󸀠-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
(+)-Cycloolivil []
(+)-Olivil []
(+)-Olivil-󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside [, ]
(+)-Olivil-󸀠󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Neolignans
Citrusin B []
Dehydrodiconiferylalcohol-,𝛾󸀠-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Dihydroxydehydrodiconiferyl alcohol []
Erythro-dihydroxydehydrodiconiferyl alcohol []
reo-dihydroxydehydrodiconiferyl alcohol []

 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
T  : C ont inued .
Category Compounds References
Sesquilignans
(−)-HedyotolC-󸀠,󸀠󸀠󸀠-di-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Syringylglycerol-𝛽-syringaresinol ether-󸀠󸀠-󸀠󸀠󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Syringylglycerol-𝛽-syringaresinol ether-󸀠󸀠-󸀠󸀠󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside []
Steroid and terpenoid
,𝛼,,𝛼-Tetrahydro--hydroxymethyl-cyclopenta[c]pyran--carboxylicmethyl ester []
Betalin []
Betulic acid []
Daucosterol []
Eucommidiol []
Rehmaglutin C []
Ursolic acid []
Others
(𝛼R)-𝛼,,󸀠,󸀠-Tetrahydroxydihydrochalcone []
(𝛼R)-𝛼-O-𝛽-D-Glucopyranosyl-,󸀠,󸀠-trihydroxydihyd []
,󸀠,󸀠-Trihydroxychalcone []
Eucomman A []
Eucomman B []
n-Oetaeosanoic acid []
Quercetin--O-𝛼-L-arabinopyranosyl-(-)-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside [, ]
Tetraeosanoie-,-dihydroxypropyl ester []
Leaves of Eucommia ulmoides
Phenolics
Astragalin [, ]
Hirsutin []
Isoquercetin [, ]
Kaempferol []
Kaempferol--O-󸀠󸀠-acetyl-glucoside []
Kaempferol--O-rutinoside []
Quercetin--O-𝛼-L-arabinopyranosyl-(-)-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside [, , ]
Rutin [, ]
Ajugoside []
Asperuloside []
Asperulosidic acid []
Aueubin or aueuboside []
Deacetyl asperulosidic acid []
Eucommiol []
Eucommioside []
Eucomoside A []
Eucomoside B []
Eucomoside C []
Geniposidic acid [, ]
Harpagide acetate []
Reptoside []
Scandoside--O-acetate []
Ulmoside [, ]
-(,-Dihydroxyphenyl) propionic acid []
(-Hydroxyphenyl-propionic acid) []
,-Dihydrobenzonic acid []
Caeic acid [, ]
Chlorogenic acid methylester []
Eatechol []
Isochlorogenic acid A []
Isochlorogenic acid C []
p-trans-Coumaric acid []
Pyrogallol []

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 
T  : C ont inued .
Category Compounds References
Monoepoxylignans (+)-Olivil-󸀠-O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside [, ]
Steroid and terpenoid Loliolide []
Ulmoidol []
Others Ethyl glucopyranoside []
Seeds of Eucommia ulmoides
Iridoids
Ulmoidoside A []
Ulmoidoside B []
Ulmoidoside C []
Ulmoidoside D []
Phenolics Dihydrocaeic acid []
Stems of Eucommia ulmoides
Phenolics
Coniferin []
Koaburaside []
Syringin []
leafextractofEUatthedoseof.g/gforweeks
reduced the concentrations of triglycerides, total choles-
terol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), and free
acids in plasma and hepatic lipids compared to control group
(fed  g, coconut oil, .% cholesterol, w/w) []. In a similar
manner,  mg or  mg intraduodenal injection of EU leaf
extract reduced plasma triglyceride levels [].
3.2. Antioxidant Eects. Antioxidant compounds from
Eucommia plant reduced the level of free radicals [, ]
and improved the disease condition caused by oxidative
stress [, ]. Strong antioxidant properties of EU have been
established under in vivo and in vitro studies[,].Extracts
from EU reduced the level of hydrogen peroxide which
expresses some caspase proteins by MCTE cells up to half
concentration from . to  𝜇g/mL []. Extract of EU was
reported to increase the actions of erythrocyte, superoxide
dismutase, and catalase and glutathione peroxidase and
reduce the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and lipid
peroxide in erythrocytes, liver, and kidney []. Studies on
diabetic rats indicated that superoxide dismutase (SOD) can
be enhanced by Eucommia bark. Eucommia also increases the
level of other antioxidant enzymes in the blood to neutralize
free radicals [].
Phenolics and avonoids of medicinal herbs contributed
signicantly to oxidative activities in EU [, –]. Pheno-
lics and avonoids safely react with free radicals by donating
a hydrogen atom or an electron and terminate chain reaction
beforethevitalorgansaredamaged[].Antioxidantprop-
erties from leaves of the EU roasted cortex and seeds were
analyzed by calculating radical scavenging activity of ,-
diphenyl--picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant
power and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity in a 𝛽-
carotene/linoleic acid system. Results indicated that leaf of
the extract showed maximum DPPH radical scavenging
activity with reducing rate and inhibition rate of .%,
followed by butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (.%) and
the roasted cortex extract (.%). However, the seed extract
had the lowest activity of .%. In ferric reducing antioxidant
power assays, the order of ferric reducing activities of EU
extracts from leaf, seed, and roasted cortex was compared
with positive control. In the 𝛽-carotene/linoleic acid emul-
sion system, the leaf extract showed better antioxidant capac-
ity (.%) than the roasted cortex extract (.%) or seed
extract (.%) [].
In addition, aucubin compounds of EU have been
demonstrated to exhibit photoprotective eects against
oxidative stress. Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation produces free
radicals in the skin which induce the synthesis of metallopro-
teinases (MMPs) causing photoaging in the skin, wrinkling,
and discoloration which are prone to cancer. Aucubin played
a vital role in defense mechanism against free radicals caused
by UV irradiation [].
3.3. Antibacterial, Antiviral, and Anti-Inammatory Activity.
EU have been reported to inhibit the growth of bacteria
and reduce the secretion of proinammatory cytokines in
few studies. Ethanol extracts of EU at the dose rate of .
and . mg/mL of % (v/v) were reported to exhibit some
antibacterial (against Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylo-
coccus aureus) and antifungal (against Aspergillus fumigatus)
eects [–, –]. Furthermore, it has been reported that
the same concentration of . mg/mL EU extracts reduces
the secretion of proinammatory cytokines including tumor
necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-𝛼), interleukin- (IL-), and IL-
𝛽by human monocytic (THP-) cells pretreated with heat-
killed P. a c n e s . Aqueous extract of EU signicantly decreased
cyclooxygenase- (COX-) enzyme with IC50 = . mg/mL,
although the eects were lowered compared with nonsteroid
anti-inammatory drugs []. Cortex of EU at the concentra-
tion of . and . mg/mL decreased production of (TNF-𝛼,
IL-, and COX-) prostaglandin E and nitric oxide [].
Suppression of HIV infection has also been reported with
daily intake of EU extracts or its alkaline extracts in tea
formula. Alkaline extract of EU leaf in combination with
%uronicacid,%reducingsugars,and%neutral
sugars reduced HIV-induced cytopathicity (HTLV-III) with

 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
extremely low cytotoxicity in infected MT- cells (EC50)[].
Lv et al. also demonstrated that the samples from EU Oliver
had potent inhibitory activity against the HIV gp six-helix
bundle formation [].
3.4. Antiobesity Eects. Previous studies have shown that EU
has antiobesity and antimetabolic syndrome properties [, ,
, , ]. It has been demonstrated that both Eucommia
leaf extract (ELE) and Eucommia green leaf powder (EGLP)
markedly suppressed body weight and white adipose tissue
(WAT) in female ICR mice fed high-fat diets (HFD). e
antiobesity eect of Eucommia green leaf extract (EGLE)
has been linked to various compounds such as geniposidic
acid, asperuloside, and chlorogenic acid which was isolated
from the extract []. Application of water extract from the
leaf of EU at the rate of % diet was reported to reduce
fat accumulation rate in osteoporotic mice [] although
application of – mg/kg EU leaf extract beyond 
weeks showed no eect on fat accumulation in fructose
overfed rats [].
Antiobesity and antimetabolic syndrome activity in rat
fed with a % high-fat diet could be maintained through
secretion and regulation of adipocytokines that depend on
the accumulation of visceral fat to improve insulin resistance
or hyperlipidemia []. Administration of EU extracts at the
concentration of – mg/kg intake has been reported
to enhance gene expressions for fat oxidation []. Adminis-
tration of the extract was conrmed to increase fat oxidation
in liver [, , –]. is increased fat oxidation in liver
following administration of EU extract was attributed to the
rate limiting stages of 𝛽-oxidation (CPTA, ACOX, and
ACADVL), 𝛼-oxidation, and 𝜔-oxidation (CYPA) [].
3.5. Neuroprotective Eects. e stem bark extract of EU
exhibited acetylcholinesterase inhibition properties in vitro
( 𝜇g/mL) IC50 and neuroprotective eects against beta-
amyloid proteins []. It also inhibits –% of cytotoxicity
and ecacy of oxidative biomarkers when applied at a con-
centration of . 𝜇g/mL []. Stem barkextract of EU showed
higher protection activity against memory dysfunctions at
the dose of – mg/kg with intracerebral injection of beta-
amyloid proteins in rats [].
3.6. Metabolic Modulation and Bones. Eucommia cortex
extract can be used in the control of osteoporosis. is is
because Eucommia extract is actively involved in mechanisms
which initiate osteoblast, enhance osteogenesis, decrease
osteoclast, and thus prevent osteolysis []. Total glycosides
from Eucommia ulmoides seed (TGEUS) have been shown
to improve bone density and femur strength in rats [].
Daily administration of TGEUS at the rate of mg/kg
body weight/day to normal and Dawley rats was reported
to signicantly increase bone mineral density and showed
improvements in microarchitecture structure of the femur
bone [].
Eucommia cortex extract was reported to induce the
release of growth hormone (GH) responsible for bone matu-
ration and bone remodeling. Products of alcoholic extraction
from Eucommia bark were reported to be very potent in the
release of growth hormone secretagogue. Increasing signals
of estrogen receptor alpha has been shown to increase the
growth of bone []. An exception to this eect was noticed
in ovariectomized rats which showed no eect on the growth
of bone [, ]. In menopausal research model, % diet
of the EU was observed to minimize the bone loss in
ovariectomized rats []. Eucommia cortex fed at the dosage
of – mg/kg showed reduced bone mass which is not
signicantly dierent from group fed with estradiol drug [].
Antioxidant properties of Eucommia leaf extract were also
reported to contribute positively to the promotion of bone
growth by improving cell integrity during oxidative stress
whenappliedatareduceddosage(.𝜇g/mL) []. ere-
fore, Eucommia extract can be established as a therapeutic
agent under conditions of osteoporosis [].
3.7. Phytoestrogenic Properties. EU was reported to exhibit
phytoestrogenic and androgenic properties []. Eucommia
bark contains isoavonoids, with estrogen like properties,
which bind to human estrogen receptors. None of these
isoavonoids has male hormone like eect that interacts
with human androgen receptor. Eucommia bark has been
reported to show bimodal phytoandrogenic and hormone
enhancing eects []. Androgen receptors play a key role
in male as well as in female physiology such as skeletal
muscle development, bone density, and sex drive [, ].
Ethanol extracts of Eucommia bark were reported to attach
in a weak manner to activated androgen receptors with high
anity and produce testosterone at the rate of –ng/mL in
mammalian COS- cells []. Oral induction of the ethanol
extract showed no increase in prostatic weights at the dose of
– mg. However, % increases in prostatic weights were
observed by increasing the dosage up to  𝜇ginjection
[]. Application of EU at a concentration of  ng/mL
enhanced the signals of estradiol in a manner similar to
androgen receptors []. However, the promoting eect of
EU on the cortisol and progesterone receptors was not
observed [].
In vivo animal studies conducted using oral administra-
tion of EU extracts potentiated androgenic and hormonal
eects. A form of tripartite synergism between sex steroid
receptors, sex hormones, and lipidic augmenters isolated
from EU was found by Ong and Tan []. It has been shown
that the activities of sex hormone in the body are optimized
with the application of EU [].
3.8. Hepatoprotective Eects. Study was conducted on dier-
ent doses of Eucommia ulmoides and carbon tetrachloride on
Sprague Dawley male rats to investigate the protective eects
of EU in response to CCl4induced acute liver lipid accumu-
lation. Results demonstrated that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.
cortex extracts (EUCE) signicantly decreased the hepatic
lipid accumulation induced by CCl4.EUenhanceslysosomal
enzyme activity relieving protein folding requirement which
turns into attenuation of ER stress. ApoB secretion was
improved by eects of ER stress; along this, it regulates
biotransformation of CCl4and its resultant inhibition of ROS
accumulation [].

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 
4. Future Perspective and Conclusion
is review paper discusses health-promoting properties of
EU on cardiovascular system and antioxidant, antibacterial,
antiviral, anti-inammatory, antiobesity, and neuroprotective
eects and metabolic modulation on bones and phytoestro-
genic properties. ese health-promoting properties have
attracted much interest in the extraction and functional
development of active ingredients of EU.In further studies,
molecular mechanisms underlying certain health-promoting
properties of EU need to be explored.
Conflict of Interests
e authors declare that there is no conict of interests.
Acknowledgments
is work was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (nos. , , , and
), the Science and Technology Department of Hunan
province (JC), and the State Key Laboratory of
Animal Nutrition (DAF). e authors are also
thankful to CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship and UCAS
nancial and infrastructure support.
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