Journal of ethnopharmacology
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Vitellaria paradoxa (shea tree) is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments, including, inflammation and fever. Therefore the present research investigates the anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic effects of V. paradoxa stem bark extracts in rats and the isolation and characterization of its active constituents. ⋯ These findings provide pharmacological basis for the application of the VPEE in inflammatory disorders.
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Nymphaea tetragona is a widely distributed ornamental species with ethnomedicinal uses in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, eruptive fevers, and infections. The anti-infectious activities of this herb have already been assessed to clarify its traditional use as a medicine. ⋯ NTME was demonstrated to have significant concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on quorum sensing-mediated virulence factors of bacteria with non-toxic properties, and could thus be a prospective quorum sensing inhibitor.
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The genus Uncaria belongs to the family Rubiaceae, which mainly distributed in tropical regions, such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Southeast America. Their leaves and hooks have long been thought to have healing powers and are already being tested as a treatment for asthma, cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and rheumatism. The present review aims to provide systematically reorganized information on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Uncaria to support for further therapeutic potential of this genus. To better understanding this genus, information on the stereo-chemistry and structure-activity relationships in indole alkaloids is also represented. ⋯ Preliminary investigations on pharmacological properties of the Uncaria species have enlightened their efficacious remedy for hypertension, asthma, cancer, diabetes, rheumatism and neurodegenerative diseases. To ensure the safety and effectiveness in clinical application, research on bioactive compounds, pharmacological mechanisms and toxicity of the genus Uncaria as well as the stereo-chemistry and structure-activity relationships of indole alkaloids seem very important.
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Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo (L. rotata) is a medical plant that has been traditionally used for centuries for the treatment of pain, such as bone and muscle pain, joint pain and dysmenorrhea. Although iridoid glycosides of L. rotata (IGLR) are the major active components of it according to reports, it still remains poorly understood about the molecular mechanisms underlying analgesic effects of IGLR. The aim of the present study was to investigate the analgesic effect of IGLR on a spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain. ⋯ These results indicated IGLR could produce an anti-neuropathic pain effect that might partly be related to the inhibition of the NO/cGMP/PKG and NMDAR/PKC pathways and the level of TNF-α, IL-1β as well as to the increase of the level of IL-10 in spinal cord.
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Sophora flavescens (Fabaceae), also known as Kushen (Chinese: ), has been an important species in Chinese medicine since the Qin and Han dynasties. The root of Sophora flavescens has a long history in the traditional medicine of many countries, including China, Japan, Korea, India and some countries in Europe. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Sophora flavescens has been used extensively, mainly in combination with other medicinal plants in prescriptions to treat fever, dysentery, hematochezia, jaundice, oliguria, vulvar swelling, asthma, eczema, inflammatory disorders, ulcers and diseases associated with skin burns. The aim of this review is to provide updated and comprehensive information regarding the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological activities and toxicology of Sophora flavescens and to discuss possible trends and opportunities for further research on Sophora flavescens. ⋯ Sophora flavescens is a promising traditional medicine, but there is a need for more precise studies to test the safety and clinical value of its main active crude extracts and pure compounds and to clarify their mechanisms of action. Moreover, some existing studies have lacked systematic methods and integration with the existing literature, and some of the experiments were isolated, used small sample sizes and were unreliable. More validated data are therefore required.