Journal of ethnopharmacology
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Uncaria guianensis (Aublet) Gmell (Rubiaceae) is a medicinal plant from the jungles of South and Central America, used to treat cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and inflammation. Evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects of Uncaria guianensis preparations. ⋯ As Ug AIV was not cytotoxic for tumour cells or macrophages, its anti-tumour effect may be due to a reduction in pro-tumoural inflammatory processes in the tumour microenvironment, possibly mediated through NF-κB.
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Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and effect of Zataria multiflora on Th1/Th2 balance were previously described. Different therapeutic effects of this plant have been described in Iranian traditional medicine. To evaluate the immune modulatory effects of Zataria multiflora on Th1/Th2 balance, which may be implicated in inflammatory disorders, in vitro and in vivo studies were carried out. ⋯ These results indicated consistent in vitro and in vivo data for selective immune modulatory effect of the extract of Zataria multiflora which increased IFN-γ, decreased IL-4, and enhanced the ratio of IFN-γ to IL-4 (Th1/Th2 balance). Therefore, the extract of Zataria multiflora may have therapeutic value in inflammatory responses such as allergy, autoimmunity and infectious diseases associated with Th1/Th2 imbalance.
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Cyclocarya paliurus (CP) Batal., the sole species in its genus and native to China, is a herbal tea, which has been traditionally used in the folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia in China. To evaluate the antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of ethanol and aqueous extracts from CP in high fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. ⋯ The results suggested that CPEE and CPAE exhibited the similar antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects in type 2 diabetic rats, and there were no significant differences between these two extracts.
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Flos Chrysanthemi is used in a variety of diseases in traditional Chinese medicine including hypertension, and the total flavonoids (rich in luteolin (LUT) and buddleoside (BUD)) of Flos Chrysanthemi is known to modulate vascular functions and reduce the blood pressure. However, the active flavonoids and their synergistic effects on anti-hypertension are still unclear. To investigate the combined anti-hypertension effects of LUT and BUD enriched extracts on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), as well as the anti-hypertensive mechanism of LUT&BUD mixture. ⋯ This study shows the synergistic anti-hypertension effects of LUT and BUD in SHR. The effects of LBM on blood pressure are associated with RAAS and endothelial system. Thus, our experiments suggest that the combination of luteolin and buddleoside from Flos Chrysanthemi are potentially useful for the therapeutic treatments for hypertension.
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Dolichos falcata Klein (DF), a Chinese Dai ethnic medicine popularly known as "Tuoyeteng" in Yunnan province of China, has been widely used as a traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of fracture and beriberoid disease for a long time in China. The present study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity and the bioactive chemical constituents of DF, and further to assess its possible mechanism on gouty arthritis in an animal model of the MSU crystals-induced gouty inflammation. ⋯ These findings indicate that the major triterpenoids present in DF have a remarkable effect on improving symptoms of acute gouty arthritis induced by MSU crystals through inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.