Phytotherapy research : PTR
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The methanol extract of A. webbiana Lindl was evaluated for its effect on a cough model induced by sulphur dioxide gas in mice. When administered orally it exhibited significant antitussive activity compared with the control in a dose dependent manner. The antitussive activity of the extract was compared with that of codeine phosphate, a prototype antitussive agent. The A. webbiana leaf extract (400 and 600 mg/kg) showed maximum inhibition of cough frequency by 71.69% and 78.67%, respectively, when compared with the control group and was comparable in effect to codeine phosphate.
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It has previously been reported that magnolol, a phenolic compound isolated from Magnolia obovata, inhibited tumour cell invasion in vitro. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimetastatic effect of magnolol on tumour metastasis in vivo with experimental and spontaneous metastasis models and to clarify the mechanism. The antimetastatic effects of magnolol were evaluated by an experimental liver and spleen metastasis model using L5178Y-ML25 lymphoma, or an experimental and spontaneous lung metastasis model using B16-BL6 melanoma. ⋯ In addition, magnolol significantly inhibited B16-BL6 cell invasion of the reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel, MG) without affecting cell growth. These data from the in vivo experiments suggest that magnolol possesses strong antimetastatic ability and that it may be a lead compound for drug development. The antimetastatic action of magnolol is considered to be due to its ability to inhibit tumour cell invasion.