This week's Medline Hits on Herbal Medicine

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Mok T, Yeo W, Johnson P, Hui P, Ho W, Lam K, Xu M, Chak K, Chan A,

Wong H, Mo F, Zee B. A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study

of Chinese herbal medicine as complementary therapy for reduction of

chemotherapy-induced toxicity. Ann Oncol. 2007 Jan 17; [Epub ahead of

print] Department of Clinical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Institute

of , Hong Kong Cancer Institute, Chinese University of

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), China.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is a common

complementary therapy used by patients with cancer for reduction of

chemotherapy-induced toxic effects. This study applied the highest standard

of clinical trial methodology to examine the role of CHM in reducing

chemotherapy-induced toxicity, while maintaining a tailored approach to

therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with early-stage breast or

colon cancer who required postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were

eligible for the study. Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to one of

three Chinese herbalists who evaluated and prescribed a combination of

single-item packaged herbal extract granules. Patients received either CHM

or placebo packages with a corresponding serial number. The placebo

package contained nontherapeutic herbs with an artificial smell and taste

similar to a typical herbal tea. The primary end points were hematologic and

non-hematologic toxicity according to the National Cancer Institute Common

Toxicity Criteria Version 2. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients

were accrued at the time of premature study termination. Patient

characteristics of the two groups were similar. The incidence of grade 3/4

anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia for the CHM and

placebo groups were 5.4%, 47.3%, 52.7%, and 1.8% and 1.8%, 32.2%,

44.7%, and 3.6%, respectively (P = 0.27, 0.37, 0.63, and 0.13, respectively).

Incidence of grade 2 nausea was the only non-hematologic toxicity that was

significantly reduced in the CHM group (14.6% versus 35.7%, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: Traditional CHM does not reduce the hematologic toxicity

associated with chemotherapy. CHM, however, does have a significant

impact on control of nausea. PMID: 17229769 [PubMed - as supplied by

publisher]

 

Zhang R, Tan Y, Wang H. [Preliminary evaluation on seroma prevention

and treatment with transposition of tissue flaps and arista hemostatic

powder][Article in Chinese] Zhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za Zhi.

2006 Dec;20(12):1220-3. Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology,

Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai Traditional University,

Shanghai, 200021, PR China. rumingzhang OBJECTIVE: To

investigate and evaluate prevention and treatment of seroma by

transposition of tissue flaps and Arista hemostatic powder after regional

lymph node resection in patients with malignant tumors. METHODS: Twelve

patients (6 males, 6 females; aged 31-81 years, with metastatic tumors

underwent prevention and treatment of seroma with the tissue flaps and

Arista hemostatic powder spray after regional lymph node resection. The

metastatic tumors involved the axilla in 1 patient with breast carcinoma, the

iliac and inguinal regions in 2 patients with carcinomas of the uterine cervix

and the rectum, and the inguinal region in 9 patients, including 4 patients

with malignant fibrous histiocytoma(3 in the thigh, 1 in the leg), 2 patients

with squamous carcinomas in the leg, 1 patient with synovial sarcoma in the

knee, 1 patient with epithelioid sarcoma in the leg, and 1 patient with

malignant melanoma in the foot. As for the lymph node removal therapy. 1

patient underwent axillary lymph node removal, 2 palients underwent lymph

node removal in theiliac and inguinal regions, and 9 patients underwent

lymph node removal in the inguinal region. Meanwhile, of the 12 patients, 6

patients underwent transpostion of sartourius flaps with Arista hemostatic

powder, 3 patients underwent transposition of the rectus abdominis

myocutaneous flaps (including 2 patients treated with Arista spray befor the

wound closure and 1 patient treated by transposition of local skin flaps with

Arista spray used again),and 3 patients underwent only the suturing of the

wounds combined with Arista. At the same time, of the 12 patients,only 4

patient underwent the transplantation of artificial blood vessels. RESULTS:

The follow-up for 2-10 months after operation revealed that 10 patients, who

had received the transposition of tissue flaps and the spray of Arista

hemostatic powder, had the first intention of the incision heal with seroma

cured. Nine patients were given a preventive use of Arista hemostatic

powder and therefore no seroma developed. The combined use of the

transposition of tissue flaps and Arista hemostatic powder spray achieved a

success rate of 100% in the prevention or treatment of seroma. However, 1

patient developed microcirculation disturbance 24 hours after operation and

underwent disarticulation of the hip; 1 patient developed pelvic cavity

hydrops and died 10 months after operation. CONCLUSION: The combined

use of transposition of tissue flaps and Arista hemostatic powder spray can

effectively prevent or treat seroma after regional lymph node removal in a

patient with malignant tumor. PMID: 17228687 [PubMed - in process]

NOTE (Phil): http://tinyurl.com/26w3ne says: News Release from: Medafor

Inc. Haemostatic powder applicator; Edited by the

Healthservicetalk Editorial Team on 7 December 2006; Applicator facilitates

wound access during surgery: Medafor has introduced the FlexiTip

applicator for use with its Arista AH Absorbable Hemostat: Arista AH is the

simple, safe and effective haemostatic powder recently approved by the

FDA for most types of surgery including cardiac, orthopaedic, spinal and

general surgical applications. The FlexiTip applicator is a lightweight, plastic

device with a long, flexible tube to provide accurate delivery of Arista AH

powder deep into haemorrhagic wounds and into difficult to reach locations

during surgery. The Arista AH bellows applicator attaches to the end of the

FlexiTip to create a reservoir of powder which flows through the tube when

the bellows are compressed. Arista AH consists of Medafor's patented

Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres (MPH), a plant based, flowable

powder engineered to rapidly dehydrate blood, enhancing clotting on

contact. Arista AH facilitates the formation of a highly resilient, natural clot

within just a few minutes regardless of the patient's coagulation status.

Arista AH is the only new generation surgical hemostat that is instantly

ready to use, requiring no mixing, no addition of patient blood or other

components and no special handling or storage conditions. Pre clinical

evaluations, clinical studies and surgical use have shown the haemostatic

capabilities of Arista AH to be comparable to the current popular choice of

surgical haemostatic materials, while its formulation allows for rapid and

complete absorption within 24 to 48 hours. Because Arista AH degrades so

rapidly, it does not promote infection. 'As with the recent introduction of

Arista AH to the US surgical market, the arrival of the FlexiTip applicator

significantly improves the options available for safe, efficacious

haemostasis during surgical procedures', said Gary Shope, Medafor's CEO.

 

Nishijima S, Sugaya K, Miyazato M, Ogawa Y. Effect of gosha-jinki-gan, a

blended herbal medicine, on bladder activity in rats. J Urol. 2007

Feb;177(2):762-5. Division of Urology, Department of Organ-Oriented

Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.

PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of the blended herbal medicine

Gosha-jinki-gan [Niuche Shenqi Wan] on bladder activity and the autonomic

nervous system in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 42 female

rats were divided into a control diet group of 21 and a Gosha-jinki-gan diet

group of 21. Rats in the control diet group were fed a standard diet, while

animals in the Gosha-jinki-gan were fed a special diet containing 1.08%

Gosha-jinki-gan (TJ107, Tsumura Co., Tokyo, Japan). After 4 weeks 28

rats, including 14 in the control and 14 in the Gosha-jinki-gan group,

underwent continuous cystometry with physiological saline or 0.1% acetic

acid solution and bladder activity was recorded. The remaining 14 rats were

anesthetized with halothane, and body weight, serum amino acid (glutamate

and glycine) and plasma monoamine (noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine

and serotonin) levels were measured. RESULTS: The amplitude of bladder

contraction on continuous cystometry with physiological saline was lower in

the Gosha-jinki-gan diet group than in the control diet group, and plasma

dopamine and serotonin levels were also lower in the Gosha-jinki-gan

group. When cystometry was done with 0.1% acetic acid, the interval

between bladder contractions was shortened in the control and Gosha-jinki-

gan groups. However, the interval and duration of bladder contractions were

longer in the Gosha-jinki-gan than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest that Gosha-jinki-gan inhibits bladder activity by

maintaining the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous

systems at a low level. PMID: 17222677 [PubMed - in process]

 

NOTE on Gosha-jinki-gan [Niuche Shenqi Wan] (Phil):

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=538504 says:

Gosha-jinki-gan (GJG) is composed of 10 crude herbs (Percentages:

Rehmanniae Rx 17.9, Huainiuxi 10.7, Shanzhuyu 10.7, Shanyao 10.7,

Cheqianzi 10.7, Zexie 10.7, Fuling 10.7, Mudanpi 10.7, Rougui 3.6, Aconiti

Tuber 3.6), has been described as being useful in the treatment of many

subjective symptoms, including fatigability, cold in the extremities, leg

numbness and pain, copious urine with thirst, cloudy vision in old age and

lumbago (10). GJG is considered to be a useful approach for the

improvement of subjective symptoms such as numbness (11-13),

sensation of cold (11,12) and pain in the extremities (13) associated with

diabetic neuropathy. Some evidences suggest that GJG administration has

a vasodilating (14,15) and antinociceptive effect (16), improving the insulin

resistance (17) in STZ-diabetes as a result of increased nitric oxide (NO)

production.

 

Wu Y, Li L, Wen T, Li YQ. Protective effects of echinacoside on carbon

tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Toxicology. 2006 Dec 23; [Epub

ahead of print] Institute of Liver Diseases, The 302th Hospital of PLA,

Beijing 100039, PR China. The aim of this study was to investigate the

possible protective effects of echinacoside, one of the phenylethanoids

isolated from the stems of Cistanches salsa, a Chinese herbal medicine, on

the free radical damage of liver caused by carbon tetrachloride in rats.

Treatment of rats with carbon tetrachloride produced severe liver injury, as

demonstrated by dramatic elevation of serum ALT, AST levels and typical

histopathological changes including hepatocyte necrosis or apoptosis,

haemorrhage, fatty degeneration, etc. In addition, carbon tetrachloride

administration caused oxidative stress in rats, as evidenced by increased

reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and MDA concentrations in the

liver of rats, along with a remarkable reduction in hepatic SOD activity and

GSH content. However, simultaneous treatment with echinacoside

(50mg/kg, intraperitoneally) significantly attenuated carbon tetrachloride-

induced hepatotoxicity. The results showed that serum ALT, AST levels and

hepatic MDA content as well as ROS production were reduced dramatically,

and hepatic SOD activity and GSH content were restored remarkably by

echinacoside administration, as compared to the carbon tetrachloride-

treated rats. Moreover, the histopathological damage of liver and the

number of apoptotic hepatocytes were also significantly ameliorated by

echinacoside treatment. It is therefore suggested that echinacoside can

provide a definite protective effect against acute hepatic injury caused by

CCl(4) in rats, which may mainly be associated with its antioxidative effect.

PMID: 17222497 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Min X, Lee DT, Jinhua X, Wenjun D, Li C, Bin D, Pingxiang D, Wingho L,

Xiaoyin T, Xiaohui Z. A database on treating drug addiction with traditional

Chinese medicine. Addiction. 2007 Feb;102(2):282-8. Hong Kong Baptist

University, Hong Kong. Aims Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been

used to treat drug addiction for more than 160 years and valuable

experiences have been accumulated with regard to patients' detoxification

and rehabilitation. The aims of this project were (1) to establish a

computerized, bilingual (Chinese-English) database on TCM for drug

addiction; (2) to analyse the literature published in this field; and (3) to

identify those Chinese herbs commonly used for drug addiction treatment.

Design (1) Paper collection: related papers were collected through

electronic databases and hand-searched materials; (2) data

computerization: the Microsoft Access program and Delphi language were

used as the major data management systems; (3) paper analysis: annual

publications from 1989 to 2003 were classified and calculated; and (4)

herbal analysis: the frequency of herbs used and herbal function categories

were analysed. Findings (1) A special bilingual database that contained 340

works of professional literature, including 85 patent files on TCM for drug

addiction, was established, in which more than 90% of the publications

originated from mainland China; (2) the literature classification showed a

significant increase in the number of publications on clinical and laboratory

researches in this field over the past decade; (3) five functional

categorizations of Chinese herbs and the 10 most frequently used Chinese

herbs as well as three toxic herbs were identified from more than 200 herbs

reported in 150 original research articles and 85 patent files. Conclusions

For the first time, the published data on TCM in the treatment of drug

addiction were analysed systematically by using a new database. The

results are invaluable for further laboratory and clinical studies to obtain

more direct evidence. PMID: 17222283 [PubMed - in process]

 

Gulcin I, Elmastas M, Aboul-Enein HY. Determination of antioxidant and

radical scavenging activity of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L. Family

Lamiaceae) assayed by different methodologies. Phytother Res. 2007 Jan

15; [Epub ahead of print] Ataturk University, Faculty of Science and Arts,

Department of Chemistry, TR-25240-Erzurum, Turkey. The antioxidant

properties of plants have been investigated, in the light of recent scientific

developments, throughout the world due to their potent pharmacological

activities and food viability. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L. Family Lamiaceae)

is used as a kitchen herb and as an ornamental plant in house gardens. In

the present study, the possible radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of

the water (WEB) and ethanol extracts (EEB) of basil was investigated using

different antioxidant methodologies: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH)

free radical scavenging, scavenging of superoxide anion radical-generated

non-enzymatic system, ferric thiocyanate method, reducing power,

hydrogen peroxide scavenging and metal chelating activities. Experiments

revealed that WEB and EEB have an antioxidant effects which are

concentration-dependent. The total antioxidant activity was performed

according to the ferric thiocyanate method. At the 50 microg/mL

concentration, the inhibition effects of WEB and EEB on peroxidation of

linoleic acid emulsion were found to be 94.8% and 97.5%, respectively. On

the other hand, the percentage inhibition of a 50 microg/mL concentration of

BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol was found to be 97.1%, 98.5% and 70.4%

inhibition of peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. In addition,

WEB and EEB had effective DPPH radical scavenging, superoxide anion

radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, reducing power and

metal chelating activities. Additionally, these various antioxidant activities

were compared with BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol as reference

antioxidants. The additional total phenolic content of these basil extracts

was determined as the gallic acid equivalent and were found to be

equivalent. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID: 17221941

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Hsu YC, Chiu YT, Lee CY, Wu CF, Huang YT. Anti-fibrotic effects of

tetrandrine on bile-duct ligated rats. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2006

Oct;84(10):967-76. Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine,

National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Li-Nong Street, Sec. 2, Taipei 112,

Taiwan. Tetrandrine (Tet) (C38H42O8N2; molecular weight, 622), an

alkaloid isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Stephania tetrandra, has

been shown to elicit anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects in pulmonary

diseases, but the mechanism of action has yet to be investigated. In this

study, we tested whether Tet exerts anti-fibrotic effects on rat hepatic

fibrosis through anti-NFkappaB pathways. After bile-duct ligation, rats were

given Tet (1 or 5 mg/kg) or silymarin (50 mg/kg, as a positive control) by

gavage twice daily for 3 weeks. Liver sections were taken for Sirius red

quantitative scoring, immunofluorescence double staining of alpha-smooth

muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and NFkappaB, and for quantitative

determinations of the mRNA expression levels of TGF-beta1, alpha-SMA,

collagen 1alpha2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), intercellular

adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), metallothionein, vascular endothelial growth

factor (VEGF), and VEGF type II receptor (VEGFR2) genes. The results

showed that both Tet and silymarin treatment significantly reduced the

fibrosis scores and hepatic collagen content of BDL rats, compared with no

treatment. Both Tet and silymarin treatments decreased the number of

alpha-SMA- and NFkappaB-positive cells in fibrotic livers. Moreover, Tet

and silymarin treatments attenuated the mRNA expression levels of TGF-

beta1,alpha-SMA, collagen 1alpha2, iNOS, ICAM-1, VEGF, and VEGFR2

genes, and induced the mRNA expression of the metallothionein gene. This

study suggests that the anti-fibrotic effects of Tet were related to the

reduction of fibrosis-related gene transcription, the attenuation of

NFkappaB-activated pathways, and the induction of metallothionein gene

transcription in the livers of BDL rats. PMID: 17218962 [PubMed - in

process]

 

Yang P, Cartwright C, Chan D, Vijjeswarapu M, Ding J, Newman RA.

Zyflamend(®)-Mediated Inhibition of Human Prostate Cancer PC3 Cell

Proliferation: Effects on 12-LOX and Rb Protein Phosphorylation. Cancer

Biol Ther. 2007 Feb 25;6(2) [Epub ahead of print] Department of

Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer

Center, Houston, Texas, USA. The multiherb anti-inflammatory product

Zyflamend was investigated for its antiproliferative effects on PC3 human

prostate cancer cells and eicosanoid metabolism in this prostate cancer cell

line. Zyflamend produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of cloned

COX-1, COX-2, and 5-LOX enzyme activities, with inhibition of 5-HETE

production being greater than that of PGE(2) formation. Applied to intact

PC3 cells, Zyflamend was found to be most potent against 12-LOX,

followed by 5-LOX and then COX activities. The concentration-dependent

inhibition of PC3 cell proliferation was associated with a selective G(2)/M

arrest of the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis, as evidenced by flow

cytometric staining of PC3 cells with annexin V. Zyflamend also produced a

concentration-dependent down-regulation of 5-LOX and 12-LOX

expression. Determination of cell signal transduction proteins demonstrated

that Zyflamend produced an increase in p21 phosphorylation but down-

regulated phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. The decrease in

pRb protein was shown to be due to 12-LOX inhibition and a decline in 12-

HETE levels in the cells. Replenishing 12-HETE in Zyflamend-treated cells

overcame the ability of this multiple herb product to inhibit cell

proliferation,

and concordantly, 12-HETE blocked Zyflamend's ability to down-regulate

phosphorylation of Rb protein. We conclude that the effective control of

human prostate cancer cell proliferation with Zyflamend is multi-mechanistic

but, in part, involves regulation of aberrant tumor cell eicosanoid

metabolism, especially on 5- and 12-LOX, as well as restoration of Rb

tumor suppressor protein function through regulation of its phosphorylation

status. PMID: 17218785 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

NOTE from http://tinyurl.com/3c8ecv (Phil): ZYFLAMEND Supplement

Facts: Serving size: 2 Softgels; Servings Per Container: 60; Suggested Use:

One Zyflamend softgel 1-2 times daily or as recommended by your health

care provider. Amount Per Serving: 780 mg total: ROSEMARY Fm 100 mg

supercritical extract + 50 mg extract (23% total phenolic antioxidants [TPA] -

34.5mg - total - 150 mg*; TURMERIC Rz - 10 mg supercritical extract (45%

turmerones-4.5 mg) +100 mg ethanolic extract (7% curcuminoids-7 mg) -

total -110 mg*; GINGER Rz 54 mg - supercritical extract,(30% pungent

compounds-16.2 mg, 8% zingiberene -4.3 mg) + 46 mg PSE** extract, (3%

pungent compounds-1.4 mg) - total - 100 mg* HOLY BASIL Fm extract (2%

ursolic acid-2 mg) - 100 mg*; GREEN TEA Fm extract (45% polyphenols-45

mg) - 100 mg*; HUZHANG (Polyganum cuspidatum Rx+Rx) extract (8%

resveratol-6.4 mg) - 80 mg*; CHINESE GOLDTHREAD Rx extract (6%

berberine-2.4 mg) - 40 mg*; BARBERRY Rx extract (6% berberine-2.4 mg)

- 40 mg*; OREGANO Fm supercritical extract (0.8% TPA-0.32 mg) - 40

mg*; SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS Rx hydroethanolic extract (17-26%

baicalein complex including baicalein + baicalin-3.4-5.2 mg, + 0.4-0.9%

wogonin-0.08-0.18 mg) - 20 mg*; Other Zyflamend ingredients: Olive oil-

extract virgin, yellow beeswax. Capsule: Gelatin, vegetable glycerine,

purified water, carob. Zyflamend premium softgel capsules are prepared

without any chemical solvents, and are certified Kosher, Halal and prion

free. [* Daily values not established.]

 

Best regards,