Journal of ethnopharmacology
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Comparative Study
An Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) extract protects mice against ozone-induced lung inflammation.
Ozone (O(3)) inhalation has been associated with respiratory tract inflammation and lung functional alterations. To characterize the O(3)-induced lung inflammation in mice, the effective dose and exposure time were determined. Total protein levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), cytological smears, and lung histopathology and morphometry were used to assess and measure the degree of pulmonary inflammation in the mouse model. ⋯ To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of UT, male mice were given an UT extract for 8 days, exposed to O(3), and killed 0 or 8 h after O(3) exposure. When compared to untreated controls, UT-treated mice had significantly (p < 0.05) lower levels of protein in BALF, lower degree of epithelial necrosis, higher number of intact epithelial cell nuclei in bronchial wall, and decreased number of PMNs in the bronchiolar lumen. Therefore, UT extract appeared to prevent O(3)-induced respiratory inflammation in male mice.
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Comparative Study
An active ingredient of Cat's Claw water extracts identification and efficacy of quinic acid.
Historic medicinal practice has defined Cat's Claw, also known as Una de Gato or Uncaria tomentosa, as an effective treatment for several health disorders including chronic inflammation, gastrointestinal dysfunction such as ulcers, tumors and infections. The efficacy of Cat's Claw was originally believed, as early as the 1960s, to be due to the presence of oxindole alkaloids. ⋯ Here we characterize the active ingredients of a water-soluble Cat's Claw extract called C-Med-100 as inhibiting cell growth without cell death thus providing enhanced opportunities for DNA repair, and the consequences thereof, such as immune stimulation, anti-inflammation and cancer prevention. The active ingredients were chemically defined as quinic acid esters and could also be shown to be bioactive in vivo as quinic acid.