柴胡是常用中藥，醋炙后其化學(xué)成分及藥理活性均有較大改變。柴胡醋炙后3個主要原生皂苷轉(zhuǎn)化為次生皂苷，揮發(fā)油類成分中的β-蒎烯等10個成分消失，新生成糠醛、1，3-辛二烯等15種成分，正辛醛等9種成分含量增加，正庚醛等5種成分含量降低；醋炙柴胡疏肝解郁和消炎利膽作用增強，而解熱鎮(zhèn)痛作用有所減弱。而醋炙柴胡通常作為引經(jīng)藥與其他藥物配伍使用，其引經(jīng)增效的機制可能與醋炙柴胡影響轉(zhuǎn)運蛋白的表達(dá)以及誘導(dǎo)或抑制β-葡萄糖醛酸酶等代謝酶有關(guān)，具體作用機制有待進(jìn)一步研究。

Radix Bupleuri is a common traditional Chinese medicine. After vinegar baking, the chemical composition and pharmacological effects in Radix Bupleuri were changed significantly. The chemical changes included the converting of three native Saikosaponins into secondary saponins, and the disappearances of ten components of volatile oil including β-pinene. Also, 15 new compounds appeared, such as furfural and 1,3-symplectic diene. Meanwhile, the contents of nine compounds increased, such as octyl aldehyde, and the contents of five compounds decreased, such as heptanal. The pharmacological researches showed that the dispersing stagnated hepatoqi, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and cholagogic effects increased, while the antipyretic analgesia effects decreased after stir-baking with vinegar. Vinegar-baked Radix Bupleuri (VBRB) was used as a meridian-guiding drug in traditional Chinese medicine formula. Moreover, its mechanism of synergized action as meridian-guiding might be related with modulating the transport protein, inhibiting or promoting the metabolic enzymes in targeted tissues, while the specific mechanisms of VBRB still need be further studied.