Review on some plants of Indian traditional medicine with antioxidant activity.

http://siba.unipv.it/farmacia/art/Marrubini/Nat%20Prod%20Rep%202001.pdf

Tannins: Classification and Definition

The plants of the genus Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae) are widely distributed in most tropical and subtropical countries, and have long been used in folk medicine to treat kidney and urinary bladder disturbances, intestinal infections, diabetes, and hepatitis B. In recent years, the interest in the plants has increased considerably. Substantial progress on their chemistal and pharmacological properties, as well as a few clinical studies of some Phyllanthus species have been made. This review discusses the current knowledge of their chemistry, the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological, biochemical, and clinical studies carried out on the extracts, and the main active constituents isolated from different species of plants of the genus Phyllanthus. These studies carried out with the extracts and purified compounds from these plants support most of their reported uses in folk medicine as an antiviral, in the treatment of genitourinary disorders, and as antinociceptive agents. However, well-controlled, double-binding clinical trials are lacking. Several compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, lignans, phenols, and terpenes were isolated from these plants and some of them interact with most key enzymes. Together this data strongly supports the view that the plants belonging to the genus Phyllanthus have potential beneficial therapeutic actions in the management of hepatitis B, nefrolitiase, and in painful disorders.

A review of the plants of the genus Phyllanthus: their chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential.

Pharmacognostic and pharmacological profile of Humulus Lupulus L.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Bail. is often referred to as an example of a medicinal plant with use in modern Chinese medicine. However, Schisandra chinensis first gained recognition as an adaptogen in the official medicine of the USSR in the early 1960s, principally as a result of the large number of pharmacological and clinical studies carried out by Russian scientists in the preceding two decades. Schizandra has now secured an established position within the medicine of Russia/USSR as evidenced by the inclusion of the drug in recent editions of the National Pharmacopoeia of the USSR and in the State Register of Drugs. Pharmacological studies on animals have shown that Schizandra increases physical working capacity and affords a stress-protective effect against a broad spectrum of harmful factors including heat shock, skin burn, cooling, frostbite, immobilisation, swimming under load in an atmosphere with decreased air pressure, aseptic inflammation, irradiation, and heavy metal intoxication. The phytoadaptogen exerts an effect on the central nervous, sympathetic, endocrine, immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal systems, on the development of experimental atherosclerosis, on blood sugar and acid-base balance, and on uterus myotonic activity. Studies on isolated organs, tissues, cells and enzymes have revealed that Schizandra preparations exhibit strong antioxidant activities and affect smooth muscles, arachidonic acid release, biosynthesis of leukotriene B(4) in leukocytes, platelet activating factor activity, carbohydrate-phosphorus metabolism, the formation of heat shock protein and polyamines, tissue respiration and oxygen consumption, and the tolerance of an organism to oxygen intoxication. In healthy subjects, Schizandra increases endurance and accuracy of movement, mental performance and working capacity, and generates alterations in the basal levels of nitric oxide and cortisol in blood and saliva with subsequent effects on the blood cells, vessels and CNS. Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated the efficiency of Schizandra in asthenia, neuralgic and psychiatric (neurosis, psychogenic depression, astheno-depressive states, schizophrenia and alcoholism) disorders, in impaired visual function, hypotension and cardiotonic disorders, in epidemic waves of influenza, in chronic sinusitis, otitis, neuritis and otosclerosis, in pneumonia, radioprotection of the fetoplacental system of pregnant women, allergic dermatitis, acute gastrointestinal diseases, gastric hyper- and hypo-secretion, chronic gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, wound healing and trophic ulcers. This review describes the considerable diversity of pharmacological effects of Schisandra chinensis reported in numerous studies carried out in the former USSR and which have been confirmed over more than 40 years of use of the plant as an official medicinal remedy. Such knowledge can be applied in the expansion of the use of Schizandra in the pharmacotherapy of European and other countries as well as for the further discovery of new drugs based on the lignans that constitute the main secondary metabolites of this plant.

Pharmacology of Schisandra chinensis Bail an overview of Russian research and uses in medicine

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a medicinal composition for liver protection which contains lithospermate B obtained from Tannzinn (Salviae miltiorrhizae radix) having liver-protecting action. SOLUTION: This medicinal composition contains lithospermate B of the formula (M is Mg , Ca or the like) as an active ingredient. The lithospermate B is obtained by extracting Tannzinn (root of Salviae miltiorrhiza Bunge) self-growing in mountains and fields of People's Republic of China with water or a polar solvent such as methanol under neutral conditions, concentrating. separating and purifying the extract. A pharmaceutically permissible substrate and an excipient are suitably formulated thereto to prepare preferably powder, syrup, capsules, granules, emulsion, suspension, drops and administered. The daily dose is 10-10,000mg/adult calculated as lithospermate B.

Medicinal composition for protecting liver containing lithospermate b

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compound capable of exhibiting anticancer activity, and to provide a pharmaceutical composition containing the same. SOLUTION: A caffeic acid phenethyl ester analogue expressed by the general formula (1) [R is an alkylphenyl of which the alkyl comprises a 1-16C alkyl, a 1-16C alkyl, alkylhexyl of which the alkyl comprises 2C alkyl, or -CH2 CH =CHPh (Ph is phenyl)] has cytotoxic activity. The pharmaceutical composition contains the analogue as an active ingredient.

Compound having cytotoxic activity and pharmaceutical composition containing the same as active ingredient

Studies on Dental Caries Prevention by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Part V : A Comparison of Antibacterial Action of Magnolol, Honokiol and Related Compounds against Streptococcus mutans

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a new compound of apocynins included in Apocynum venetum L., and useful as prophylactic or therapeutic agent for hepatic failure caused by a virus, drug poisoning, alcohol or the like. SOLUTION: This new compound is a compound of apocynins of formula I (R1 and R2 are each formula II; R3 is H; R4 is hydroxyl; and R5a is hydroxyl or the like), e.g. apocynin A of formula III. The compound of formula III is obtained by extracting twice roasted Apocynum venetum L. with boiled water, freeze-drying the extracted product, refluxing the dried product, filtering the refluxed product, suspending the methanol-dissolved part in water, extracting the suspended product with chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol in order, subjecting the ethyl acetate-soluble part to Sephadex (R) LH-20 column chromatography, eluting the remaining material by an eluent having 0-100% methanol content in water, and fractionating the eluate by a preparative thin layer chromatography.

Apocynins, and prophylactic and therapeutic agent containing the same

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce the above tea capable of reducing a LDL-cholesterol value and at the same time elevating a HDL-cholesterol value and effective to diseases such as a highpercholesterolemia by reducing an arteriosclerosis index. SOLUTION: This RAFUMA(Apocynum venetum) tea has an effect for reducing cholesterol. Besides the tea obtained by roasting the leaves of Apocynum venetum, the same can be used as a food in the shapes of an extract, a powder, etc. COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO

Shigetoshi Kadota

Papers

Medicinal composition for protecting liver containing lithospermate b

Compound having cytotoxic activity and pharmaceutical composition containing the same as active ingredient

Studies on Dental Caries Prevention by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Part V : A Comparison of Antibacterial Action of Magnolol, Honokiol and Related Compounds against Streptococcus mutans

Apocynins, and prophylactic and therapeutic agent containing the same

Production of rafuma tea having cholesterol reducing effect