Medline - Herbal Abstracts - Part 1

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[No authors listed] [Results of a multicenter trial of serenoa repens

extract (permixon) in patients with chronic abacterial prostatitis]

[Article in Russian] Urologiia. 2007 Sep-Oct;(5):3-7. Chronic

prostatitis (CP) morbidity now makes up 8 to 35% in males aged 20-40

years (N.A. Lopatkin et al., 1998; O.L. Tiktinsky, 1999). In general

population CP incidence rate is 5 to 8% (J.C. Nickel, 1999).

Phytotherapy is now widely practiced in CP. A multicenter trial

conducted by the authors demonstrates high efficacy ofpermixon in the

treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The

results of 6-month follow-up are presented. PMID: 18257155 [PubMed -

in process]

 

Alviano WS, Alviano DS, Diniz CG, Antoniolli AR, Alviano CS, Farias

LM, Carvalho MA, Souza MM, Bolognese AM. In vitro antioxidant

potential of medicinal plant extracts and their activities against

oral bacteria based on Brazilian folk medicine. Arch Oral Biol. 2008

Feb 1 [Epub ahead of print] Departamento de Ortodontia, Faculdade de

Odontologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,

RJ, Brazil. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine

antibacterial activities of Cocos nucifera (husk fiber), Ziziphus

joazeiro (inner bark), Caesalpinia pyramidalis (leaves), aqueous

extracts and Aristolochia cymbifera (rhizomes) alcoholic extract

against Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis,

Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus

casei. The antioxidant activity and acute toxicity of these extracts

were also evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The plant extracts

antibacterial activity was evaluated in vitro and the minimal

inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the broth micro-

dilution assay. The bacterial killing kinetic was also evaluated for

all extracts. In addition, the antibacterial effect of the extracts

was tested in vitro on artificial oral biofilms. The acute toxicity

of each extract was determined in according to Lorke [Lorke D. A new

approach to practical acute toxicity testing. Arch Toxicol

1983;54:275-87] and the antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH

photometric assay [Mensor LL, Menezes FS, Leitão GG, Reis AS, Santos

TC, Coube CS, et al. Screening of Brazilian plants extract for

antioxidant activity by the use of DPPH free radical method.

Phytother Res 2001;15:127-30]. RESULTS: MIC and the bactericidal

concentrations were identical, for each evaluated extract. However,

microbes of artificial biofilms were less sensitive to the extracts

than the planktonic strains. A. cymbifera extract induced the highest

bactericidal effect against all tested bacteria, followed by C.

nucifera, Z. joazeiro and C. pyramidalis extracts, respectively. All

extracts showed good antioxidant potential, being C. nucifera and C.

pyramidalis aqueous extracts the most active ones. CONCLUSION: In

conclusion, all oral bacteria tested (planktonic or in artificial

biofilms) were more susceptible to, and rapidly killed in presence of

A. cymbifera, C. pyramidalis and C. nucifera than Z. joazeiro

extracts, respectively. Thus, these extracts may be of great interest

for future studies about treatment of oral diseases, considering

their potent antioxidant activity and low toxicity. PMID: 18243157

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Chen KM, Ma HP, Ge BF, Liu XY, Ma LP, Bai MH, Wang Y. Icariin

enhances the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells

but has no effects on the differentiation of newborn calvarial

osteoblasts of rats. Pharmazie. 2007 Oct;62(10):785-9. Institute of

Orthopaedics, Lanzhou General Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, PR

China. Chkeming Since the total flavonoid extract (TFE)

of Epimedium herb was found to prevent osteoporosis induced by

ovariectomy in rats, we have been attempting to identify the exact

compound responsible for the bone-strengthening activity. In this

experiment, four flavonoid extracts were obtained from Epimedium

sagittatum (Siebold & Zucc.) Maxim, which contained 25.3%, 51.2%,

82.3% and 99.2% icariin respectively. They were separately

supplemented into the culture media of newborn rat calvarial

osteoblasts (ROB) or primary rat bone marrow stroma cells (rMSCs) at

0.1, 1, 10 and 100 microg/ml respectively, in order to observe their

effects on the cells. Not any appreciable effect was found on the

differentiation of ROB, but an enhancing effect on the osteogenic

differentiation of rMSCs was found, and the enhancing degree was

icariin-dependent, that is, a higher concentration of icariin in the

extract caused more mineralized bone nodules and higher calcium

deposition levels. The gene expressions involved in osteogenesis were

also improved which was revealed by RT-PCR, including alkaline

phosphatase, bone matrix protein (osteocalcin, osteopontin, bone

sialoprotein) and cytokines (TGF-beta1 and IGF-I). The effect of

icariin on cell proliferation was assayed by the reduction of 3-(4,5-

dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Icariin

inhibited the proliferation of rMSCs and ROB when its concentration

was higher than 10(-5) microM (6.7 microg/ml), no stimulative effect

was found. The above results indicated that icariin may exert bone-

strengthening activity by enhancing the osteogenic differentiation of

MSCs, which partially explains the anti-osteoporosis action of

Epimedium herb. PMID: 18236786 [PubMed - in process]

 

Dahl JJ, Falk K. Ayurvedic herbal supplements as an antidote to 9/11

toxicity. Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;14(1):24-8. Phoenix

House Foundation, New York, New York, USA. An in-treatment web-based

survey was conducted in 2005 with 50 New York World Trade Center

rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and area residents and

workers who were treated with Ayurvedic herbs for post-9/11 symptoms.

The survey documented pretreatment efforts at symptom relief, post-

treatment symptom impact, and the context for using the herbal

intervention. Herbal treatment was administered and monitored by a

private non-profit organization. The natural detoxification and

immune-strengthening program consists of 4 herbal supplements

developed by an Ayurvedic physician. A minimum 6-month basic program

was recommended, but many participants continued to 1 year and

longer. All 50 respondents reported high incidence of alleviation of

previously intractable symptoms, chiefly respiratory symptoms,

fatigue, and depression. PMID: 18251318 [PubMed - in process]

 

Deng LH, Yang XN, Xia Q. [Protective effects of Chaiqin Chengqi

Decoction on isolated pancreatic acinar cells in acute pancreatitis

rats and the mechanisms.] [Article in Chinese] Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue

Bao. 2008 Mar;6(2):176-9. Dept of Integrated Traditional Chinese and

Western Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu,

Sichuan Province 610041, China; E-mail: xiaqing

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of Chaiqin Chengqi

Decoction (CQCQD), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on

acinar cells and the changes of intracellular calcium concentration

([Ca(2+)]i) in acute pancreatitis (AP) rats. Methods: CQCQ serum

(CQCQS) was prepared by intragastric administration of CQCQD in SD

rats, and AP was induced in SD rats by biliary-pancreatic duct

ligation method. Pancreatic acinar cells were isolated by collagenase

digestion and co-incubated with the drug serum containing CQCQD in

vitro, then cell viability was determined by methyl thiazolyl

tetrazolium (MTT) method and intracellular fluorescent intensity (FI)

was observed and analyzed to investigate the changes of intracellular

calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i). Results: Both 5% and 10% CQCQS

could improve the viability of pancreatic acinar cells in AP rats

(P<0.05), and 10% CQCQS was more effective than 5% CQCQS (P<0.05).

[Ca(2+)]i was elevated in AP rats (P<0.05), while the level of

[Ca(2+)]i elevation was reduced after CQCQS treatment (P<0.05).

Conclusion: CQCQD has a protective effect on pancreatic acinar cells

of AP rats, which may be associated with its inhibition effect on

intracellular calcium overload. PMID: 18241654 [PubMed - in process]

 

Duan X, Zhou L, Wu T, Liu G, Qiao J, Wei J, Ni J, Zheng J, Chen X,

Wang Q. Chinese herbal medicine suxiao jiuxin wan for angina

pectoris. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD004473.

BACKGROUND: Suxiao Jiuxin Wan (Fast-acting Rescue HT Pill) is widely

used in China for angina pectoris. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this

review is to determine the effects (benefits and harms) of suxiao

jiuxin wan in the treatment of angina pectoris. SEARCH STRATEGY: We

searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on The

Cochrane Library (issue 4 2005), Medline (1995 to 2005), EMBASE (1995

to 2005), the Register of Chinese trials developed by the Chinese

Cochrane Centre (to 2006), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (1995

to 2005), and handsearched 83 Chinese journals. We also searched

reference lists, databases of ongoing trials and the Internet. Date

of last search: November 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised

controlled trials of suxiao jiuxin wan compared to standard treatment

in people with angina. Studies with a treatment duration > 4 weeks

were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers

independently applied the inclusion criteria, assessed trial quality

and extracted the data. MAIN RESULTS: Fifteen trials involving 1776

people were included. There was weak evidence that suxiao jiuxin wan

compared with nitroglyerin (xiaoxintong) improved ECG measurements

(RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.27), reduced symptoms (RR 1.09, 95% CI

1.04 to 1.13), reduced the frequency of acute attacks of angina

(difference in means -0.70, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.50), reduced diastolic

pressure (difference in means -3mmHg, 95% CI -5.73 to -0.27) and

reduced the need for supplementary nitroglycerin (difference in means

of -0.60, 95% CI -0.94 to -0.26). There was also weak evidence that

suxiao jiuxin wan compared with Salvia miltiorrhiza (danshen) reduced

symptoms (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.31) and improved ECG measurements

(RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.84). There was no significant difference

when comparing suxiao jiuxin wan with isosorbide dinitrate

(xiaosuanyishanlizhi) both for ECG improvement (RR 1.34, 95% CI 0.91

to 1.98) and for symptom improvement (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.43).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Suxiao jiuxin wan appears to be effective in

the treatment of angina pectoris and no serious side effects were

identified. However, the evidence remains weak due to poor

methodological quality of including studies. PMID: 18254051 [PubMed -

in process]

 

Kim EY, Jho HK, Kim DI, Rhyu MR. Cirsium japonicum elicits

endothelium-dependent relaxation via histamine H(1)-receptor in rat

thoracic aorta. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Nov 12 [Epub ahead of print]

Food Function Research Division, Korea Food Research Institute,

Baekhyun-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 463-746, Republic

of Korea. Cirsium japonicum De Candole is widely used in traditional

herbal medicine for the treatment of hemorrhage, hypertension or

blood circulation in Korea. In this work, we investigated the

vasorelaxant activity of an aqueous extract of C. japonicum whole

plant (CjEx) and its possible mechanism in isolated rat thoracic

aortic rings constricted with norepinephrine (NE; 300nmol/l). CjEx

elicited an acute relaxation in endothelium-intact rings in a

concentration-dependent manner (0.1-1.0mg/ml). This relaxation was

eliminated by the removal of the endothelium and pretreatment with

N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (10mumol/l), methylene blue (1mumol/l) or

diphenylhydramine (10mumol/l), but indomethacin (10mumol/l) atropine

(100nmol/l), [D-Pro(2), D-Trp(7,9)] substance P (5mumol/l) or HOE-140

(10nmol/l) did not affect the relaxation. The results indicate that

the response to CjEx involves enhancement of the nitric oxide-cyclic

guanosine monophosphate system, and that it occurs via histamine H(1)-

receptor. Our findings may contribute to better understanding of the

potential link between the clinical use and its beneficial effects on

vascular health. PMID: 18242903 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Konkimalla VB, Efferth T. Evidence-based Chinese medicine for cancer

therapy. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Dec 23 [Epub ahead of print] German

Cancer Research Centre, Pharmaceutical Biology (C015), Im Neuenheimer

Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. In contrast to western medicine

(WM), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) does not focus on a single

target but on multiple targets involved in a particular disease

condition by applying diverse modalities, such as herbal medicine,

acupuncture, moxibustion, etc. There is no pre-determined treatment

procedure in TCM, and every patient condition is handled

individually. Such patient-tailored treatments have a millennia-old

tradition in TCM. Illustrative examples of the power of TCM have been

documented in cancer research, i.e., camptothecin, homoharringtonine,

or arsenic trioxide. On the other hand, one major reason for

reluctance of western academia towards TCM is due to the lack of

clinical studies of TCM receipts. This situation is changing very

recently, and a number of clinical studies were conducted on TCM

providing convincing evidence for the first time to gain credibility

and reputation outside China. Clinical trials with TCM remedies focus

on three major fields in cancer research: (1) improvement of poor

treatment response rates towards standard chemo- and radiotherapy,

(2) reduction of severe adverse effects of standard cancer therapy,

and (3) unwanted interactions of standard therapy with herbal

medicines. Efficacy and safety of TCM treatments depend on the

quality of TCM products. Appropriate quality assurance and control of

TCM products as well as sustainable production methods are pre-

conditions for the implementation of TCM in cancer therapy at an

international level. In conclusion, the most important question for

recognition and implementation of TCM into WM concerns the clinical

evidence for the efficacy of TCM and international quality standards

for TCM products. PMID: 18243610 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Lam YH, Poon WT, Lai CK, Chan AY, Mak TW. Identification of a novel

vardenafil analogue in herbal product. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2007 Dec

8 [Epub ahead of print] Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference

Laboratory, Princess Margaret Hospital, Lai King Hill Road, Lai Chi

Kok, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, China. A new

herbal health product marketed for enhancing erectile function,

namely Power58 Platinum, was purchased over-the-counter in Hong Kong.

The product was tested for adulteration with sildenafil, tadalafil,

and vardenafil as well as their structurally modified analogues. A

new analogue of vardenafil, in which the N-ethylpiperazine ring and

the sulphonyl group were removed from the vardenafil structure, was

identified in the product. PMID: 18248930 [PubMed - as supplied by

publisher]

 

Leung PC, Wong MW, Wong WC. Limb salvage in extensive diabetic foot

ulceration: an extended study using a herbal supplement. Hong Kong

Med J. 2008 Feb;14(1):29-33. Institute of , The

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. OBJECTIVE. To

further study the clinical value of a herbal supplement in the

treatment of chronic foot ulcers in diabetic patients. DESIGN. Double-

blind randomised, placebo-control trial. SETTING. Two general

hospitals in Hong Kong. PATIENTS. Eighty patients were recruited

according to strict selection criteria. INTERVENTIONS. Clinical

measures included standard antidiabetic treatment, daily wound care

including antiseptic bath, debridement, toe removal for gangrene when

necessary, and the daily consumption of a herbal drink or placebo.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. The primary outcome was limb salvage.

Secondary outcomes included: granulation maturation, local

temperature and circulatory changes, tumour necrosis factor-alpha

levels, and adverse events. RESULTS. Limb salvage was achieved in 85%

of the patients. Among the early failures, three each came from the

treatment and placebo groups. After shifting to herbal treatment

(without unblinding of the original treatment), all were rescued in

those initially assigned to herbal concoction (6 out of 6) while only

50% (6 out of 12) were rescued from among those initially assigned to

placebo. The speed of granulation maturation, and decline in tumour

necrosis factor-alpha levels indicating control of inflammation, were

also more favourable with the herbal group. No serious adverse events

were observed. CONCLUSION. The herbal adjuvant therapy was effective

in helping the healing of chronic diabetic ulcers. PMID: 18239240

[PubMed - in process]

 

Li C, Yang J, Yu S, Chen N, Xue W, Hu J, Zhang D. Triterpenoid

Saponins with Neuroprotective Effects from the Roots of Polygala

tenuifolia. Planta Med. 2008 Feb 6 [Epub ahead of print] Institute of

Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union

Medical College (Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources

Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education),

Beijing, China. The methanol fraction of an ethanolic extract from

the roots of POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA Willd. showed antagonistic action on

neurotoxicity induced by glutamate and serum deficiency in PC12

cells. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of six new

triterpenoid saponins, onjisaponins V - Z, and Vg ( 1 - 6), together

with ten known saponins ( 7 - 16). The structures of 1 - 6 were

elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Screening results

indicated that compounds 1 - 16 showed neuroprotective effects

against serum deficiency and glutamate at the concentration of 10 (-

5) mol/L. PMID: 18256974 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Li YH, Huang ZW, Xue P, Guo J, He FQ, You Z, Wang ZR. [Effects of

Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction on activation of nuclear factor-kappaB in

pancreas of rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis.] [Article in

Chinese] Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2008 Mar;6(2):180-4. Dept of

Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, West China

Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610041,

China; E-mail: huangzongwen Objective: To explore the

mechanism of Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction (CQCQD) in treatment of rats

with acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). Methods: Thirty SD rats

were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham-operated (SO) group, ANP

group and CQCQD-treated group. ANP was induced by retro-pumping 3.5%

sodium cholate to common bile duct. Blood sample was collected from

abdominal vein for examination and the pancreatic tissue samples were

taken for making pathology section 6 hours later. The pancreatic

tissue (HE staining) was observed by light microscope. The content of

tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was

detected with the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and

the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in pancreas was

detected by immunohistochemical method. Results: Compared with the SO

group, there was dramatic increase in the white blood cell (WBC)

counts and AMY level in the ANP group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with

the ANP group, the WBC counts and AMY level in CQCQD-treated group

were significantly reduced (P<0.05). The edema, inflammatory

infiltration, haemorrhage and necrosis scores and total pathological

score in the ANP group were obviously higher than those in the SO

group (P<0.01). The edema, haemorrhage and inflammatory infiltration

scores and the total pathological score in CQCQD-treated group were

decreased (P<0.05). The integral optical density of NF-kappaB p65

positive cells of pancreas in CQCQD-treated group was lower than that

in the ANP group (P<0.05). Conclusion: CQCQD can reduce the content

of serum TNF-alpha and IL-6, depress the activation of NF-kappaB, and

lessen the pancreatic lesions. PMID: 18241655 [PubMed - in process]