BACKGROUND: In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, aging is mainly thought renal deficiency caused renal failure, mainly involving decline of kidney-Yang and deficiency of kidney-essence.Huanshaodan, a Chinese traditional preparation for kidney-replenishing essence, was used to be the preparation for reinforcing renal deficiency and preventing aging for aged people.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Huanshaodan on swimming durance and the abilities of catalase(CAT) in serum and monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) in brain tissue as well as in vitro anti-oxidative ability of aging mouse.DESIGN: A controlled animal experiment.SETTING: College of Basic Medicine, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.MATERIALS: Fifty-four healthy NIH mice, aged 18 months old, of either gender, weighing (48.9 ± 5.4) g,and one SD male rat, aged 16 months old, weighing 51.7 g, were provided by Animal Experimental Center,Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Thirty NIH mice were randomly chosen for swimming test, and divided into experimental group and control group, with 15 in each; The other 24 NIH mice were used for enzyme activity assay, and also divided into experimental group and control group, with 12 in each.SD rat was used for in vitro anti-oxidative ability test. Huanshaodan water decoction was composed of Cheqianzi, Wuweizi, Huaishan, Danggui, Huangbai, Shudi, Baizhi, Niuxi, Baishen, Tusizi, Buguzhi,Roucongrong and Heshouwu 13 Chinese herbs.METHODS: This study was carried out in the Second Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in June 2006. Swimming and enzyme activity assay: Mice in the two experimental groups were intragastrically administrated with 10 μ L/g Huanshaodan water decoction.Mice in the two control groups were intragastrically administrated with the same amount of normal saline.All the mice were intragastrically administrated for 5 days, and they were free to access to medicine in the other 2 days in a week. Each mouse was administrated for 8 weeks.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Forty days after administration, mice in the experimental group and control group for swimming test were loaded at tails and allowed to swim in the water-tank. Swimming durance was recorded. ② Following the method of Chen Qi, the activities of CAT in serum and MAO-B in brain tissue as well as the inhibitory rate of each medicine on malonaldehyde (MDA) content in the in vitro rat hepatic tissue were determined; Meanwhile, the inhibitory rate of different doses of Tusizi liquid to MDA content in the rat hepatic tissue in vitro was also assayed.RESULTS: Fifty-four NIH mice and one SD rat were recruited in this experiment. Three mice died in the swimming test, and all the other animals were involved in the final analysis. ① Swimming durance of mice in the experimental group was significantly longer than that in the control group ( t =7.502, P ＜ 0.01 ) . The activity of CAT in serum of mice in the experimental group was siificantly higher than that in the control group (t =13.307, P ＜ 0.01 ) . ② The activity of MAO-B in brain tissue of mice in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (t =13.27, P ＜ 0.01) . ③ The inhibitory rate of Cheqianzi, Wuweizi, Huaishan, Danggui, Huangbai, Shudi, Baizhi, Niuxi, Baishen, Tusizi, Buguzhi,Roucongrong and Heshouwu 13 Chinese herbs of Huanshaodan to MDA in the rat hepatic tissue in vitro was - 62.9, - 95.1, - 34.9, - 65.1, -99.1, - 87.2, - 94.1, - 20.0, - 67.0, - 83.7, - 91.0, - 98.4, - 93.0, respectively. ④ The inhibitory rate of low to high dose of Tusizi liquid to MDA content in the rat hepatic tissue in vitro was - 3.41, - 18.1, - 26.6, - 83.7, respectively.CONCLUSION: Huanshaodan enhances swimming endurance, anti-oxygen free radical and anti-oxidative abilities, and thus, it can delay aging.