Evaluation of Environmental Factor Effects on the Polyphenol and Flavonoid Content in the Leaves of Chrysanthemum indicum L. and Its Habitat Suitability Prediction Mapping.

The leaves of Chrysanthemum indicum L. are known to have various bioactive compounds; however, industrial use is extremely limited. To overcome this situation by producing high-quality leaves with high bioactive content, this study examined the environmental factors affecting the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity using C. indicum leaves collected from 22 sites in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Total phenolic and flavonoid content in the dry leaves ranged between 15.0 and 64.1 (mg gallic acid g-1) and 2.3 and 11.4 (mg quercetin g-1), while the antioxidant activity (EC50) of the 50% ethanol extracts ranged between 28.0 and 123.2 (µg mL-1) in 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Among the identified compounds, chlorogenic acid and 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were the main constituents in C. indicum leaves. The antioxidant activity demonstrated a positive correlation with 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (R2 = 0.62) and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (R2 = 0.77). The content of chlorogenic acid and dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers varied significantly according to the effects of exchangeable magnesium, cation exchange capacity, annual temperature, and precipitation, based on analysis of variance. The habitat suitability map using the geographical information system and the MaxEnt model predicted very high and high regions, comprising 3.2% and 10.1% of the total area, respectively. These findings could be used in future cultivation to produce high-quality leaves of C. indicum.

The clinical effectiveness of tafluprost on Japanese normal-tension glaucoma patients.

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the effect of tafluprost on visual field progression in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) in a Japanese population under daily clinical practice settings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a post-marketing, multicenter, non-interventional, observational study. Patients with NTG who initiated tafluprost treatment were registered and prospectively observed for 2-3 years to investigate its effectiveness on visual field progression and intraocular pressure (IOP) and safety in Japan. Visual field progression was evaluated using mean deviation (MD) slopes in a visual field analysis set that comprised patients with reliable Humphrey visual fields taken at 5 or more time points throughout the 2-3 years. RESULTS: Of the 1,454 patients registered from 160 medical institutions, 1,353 were set for safety analysis and 416 were set for visual field analysis. Due to insufficient effectiveness or safety reasons 194 patients discontinued tafluprost, and 388 patients discontinued tafluprost due to being lost to follow-up or another reason. The MD slopes were -0.09±0.85 dB/year in the entire visual field analysis set, -0.02±0.80 dB/year in naïve monotherapy patients, -0.07±0.68 dB/year in switching monotherapy patients, and -0.32±1.04 dB/year in concomitant therapy patients. In naïve monotherapy, a significant difference in MD slopes was observed between patients with an IOP reduction of 10% or higher (0.11±0.73 dB/year) vs patients with an IOP reduction of <10% (-0.22±0.87 dB/year). Significant differences were also observed in the subset analyses when the patients were divided by both MD and IOP at baseline, and presence of vitreoretinal concomitant disease. The adverse reactions were observed in 9.53% patients without any serious adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: An at least 10% IOP reduction with tafluprost monotherapy in 56.7% of the treatment-naïve NTG eyes was sufficient to significantly reduce the MD rate of progression.

Prospective Observational Post-marketing Study of Tafluprost 0.0015%/Timolol 0.5% Combination Ophthalmic Solution for Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension: Short-Term Efficacy and Safety.

INTRODUCTION: The intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effect and safety of tafluprost 0.0015%/timolol maleate 0.5% combination ophthalmic solution (Taf-TFC) were investigated in a real-world clinical setting. METHODS: A prospective up to 2-year (more than 1 year) observational study has been initiated to collect data on the IOP, conjunctival hyperemia score, corneal staining score, and adverse events suffered by patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension treated at 3 months, and up to 2 years (more than 1 year) after initiating treatment with Taf-TFC. The 3-month findings are reported here. RESULTS: Among 439 patients enrolled at 100 institutions in Japan, most had normal tension glaucoma (45.3%) or primary open angle glaucoma (36.0%). Adverse drug reaction (ADR) occurred in 5.01%. The important ADRs were conjunctival hyperemia (five patients), blepharitis (four patients), and punctate keratitis (two patients). Serious adverse reactions occurred in two patients (three events). In 410 patients with data both before and after treatment, baseline mean IOP was 17.5 ± 5.0 mmHg, and it was significantly decreased after 1, 2, and 3 months (all P < 0.05, paired-t test). IOP was significantly reduced in patients switched to Taf-TFC from either prostaglandin or ß-blocker monotherapy. IOP also decreased significantly in patients switched from a prostaglandin/timolol fixed combination, but not in patients switched from concomitant use of a prostaglandin analog and a ß-blocker. The use of Taf-TFC did not worsen the adherence in most patients. CONCLUSION: Taf-TFC significantly reduced the IOP in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension treated in daily clinical practice with controllable or recoverable ADRs in short period. Taf-TFC was effective regardless of treatment patterns, and particularly, Taf-TFC significantly reduced IOP in cases in which requiring the second line therapy as insufficient of monotherapy. FUNDING: Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan.