Pollinators differ in their contribution to the male fitness of a self-incompatible composite.

PREMISE: Reproductive fitness in plants is often determined by the quantity and quality of pollen transferred by pollinators. However, many fitness studies measure only female fitness or rely on proxies for male fitness. Here we assessed how five bee taxon groups affect male fitness in a prairie plant by quantifying pollen removal, visitation, and siring success using paternity assignments and a unique pollinator visitation experiment. METHODS: In Echinacea angustifolia, we measured per-visit pollen removal for each pollinator taxon and estimated the number of pollen grains needed for successful ovule fertilization. Additionally, we directly measured pollinator influence on siring by allowing only one bee taxon to visit each pollen-donor plant, while open-pollinated plants acted as unrestricted pollen recipients. We genotyped the resulting offspring, assigned paternity, and used aster statistical models to quantify siring success. RESULTS: Siring success of pollen-donor plants differed among the five pollinator groups. Nongrooming male bees were associated with increased siring success. Bees from all taxa removed most of the flowering head's pollen in one visit. However, coneflower-specialist bee Andrena helianthiformis removed the most pollen per visit. Female fitness and proxy measures of male fitness, such as pollinator visitation and pollen removal, did not align with our direct quantifications of male fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Our results illustrate the need for more studies to directly quantify male fitness, and we caution against using male fitness proxy measures. In addition, conservation efforts that preserve a diverse pollinator community can benefit plants in fragmented landscapes.

Designing Alginate/Chitosan Nanoparticles Containing Echinacea angustifolia: A Novel Candidate for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Nanoparticles (NPs) may help treat multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MDR). This study prepared and evaluated chitosan/alginate-encapsulated Echinacea angustifolia extract against MDR strains. Evaluating synthesized NPs with SEM, DLS, and FT-IR. Congo red agar and colorimetric plate techniques examined isolate biofilm formation. NP antibacterial power was assessed using well diffusion. Real-time PCR assessed biofilm-forming genes. MTT assessed the synthesized NPs' toxicity. According to DLS measurements, spherical E. angustifolia NPs had a diameter of 335.3±1.43 nm. The PDI was 0.681, and the entrapment effectiveness (EE%) of the E. angustifolia extract reached 83.45 %. Synthesized NPs were most antimicrobial. S. aureus resistant to several treatments was 80 percent of 100 clinical samples. Biofilm production was linked to MDR in all strains. The ALG/CS-encapsulated extract had a 4 to 32-fold lower MIC than the free extract, which had no bactericidal action. They also significantly decreased the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation. E. angustifolia-encapsulated ALG/CS decreased IcaD, IcaA, and IcaC gene expression in all MDR strains (***p<0.001). Free extract, free NPs, and E. angustifolia-NPs had 57.5 %, 85.5 %, and 90.0 % cell viability at 256 µg/ml. These discoveries could assist generate stable plant extracts by releasing natural-derived substances under controlled conditions.

Genetic variation in reproductive timing in a long-lived herbaceous perennial.

PREMISE: Reproductive fitness of individual plants depends on the timing of flowering, especially in mate-limited populations, such as those in fragmented habitats. When flowering time traits are associated with differential reproductive success, the narrow-sense heritability (h2 ) of traits will determine how rapidly trait means evolve in response to selection. Heritability of flowering time is documented in many annual plants. However, estimating h2 of flowering time in perennials presents additional methodological challenges, often including paternity assignment and trait expression over multiple years. METHODS: We evaluated the h2 of onset and duration of flowering using offspring-midparent regressions and restricted maximum likelihood methods in an experimental population of an iterocarpic, perennial, herbaceous plant, Echinacea angustifolia, growing in natural conditions. We assessed the flowering time of the parental cohort in 2005 and 2006; the offspring in 2014 through 2017. We also examined the effects of the paternity assignment from Cervus and MasterBayes on estimates of h2 . RESULTS: We found substantial h2 for onset and duration of flowering. We also observed variation in estimates among years. The most reliable estimates for both traits fell in the range of 0.1-0.17. We found evidence of a genotype by year interaction for onset of flowering and strong evidence that genotypes are consistent in their duration of flowering across years. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial heritabilities in this population imply the capacity for a response to natural selection, while also suggesting the potential for differential contributions to adaptive evolution among seasons.

Discovery of Small Molecules from Echinacea angustifolia Targeting RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of Japanese Encephalitis Virus.

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes viral encephalitis leading to neural damage, is a major threat in most Asian countries. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) present in the viral genome is the key component for genome replication, making it an attractive target for antiviral drug development. In this study, the natural products from Echinacea angustifolia were retrieved for structure-based virtual screening against JEV-RdRp. The top six compounds (Echinacoside, Echinacin, Rutin, Cynaroside, Quercetagetin 7-glucoside, and Kaempferol-3-glucoside) were obtained based on the highest negative docking score, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and molecular interaction. The computational analysis of these selected compounds against the co-crystallized ligands, i.e., ATP and GTP, were performed. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamic simulation and post-free binding energy calculation of all the selected compounds complexed with JEV-RdRP were performed to check the stability of the complexes. The obtained results showed considerable stability and intermolecular interaction with native ligand-binding site residues of JEV-RdRp. Hence, selected natural compounds are admissible inhibitors of JEV-RdRp protein and can be considered for future antiviral drug development studies.

Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea Supplementation Combined with Vaginal Hyaluronic Acid to Boost the Remission of Cervical Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (L-SILs): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and Objectives: Echinacea angustifolia and purpurea have known immunomodulatory effects which boost viral clearance, including HPV infection. However, evidence regarding the improvement due to Echinacea-based supplements of cervical HPV-related pathologies is still lacking. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Echinacea supplementation on the remission of cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (L-SIL). Materials and Methods: A single-blind 1:1:1 parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Colposcopy Unit of a tertiary care referral center. Reproductive-aged women were allocated either to (a) an oral supplement based on Echinacea extracts plus vaginal hyaluronic acid-based soft gel capsules, (b) the Echinacea supplement alone, or (c) vaginal hyaluronic acid-based soft gel capsules alone for 3 months. The primary outcome was the regression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)-1 for each treatment arm at 3, 6 and 12 months after the diagnosis. Secondary outcomes included changes in the epithelialization, pap smear, colposcopic parameters, histological reports, and vaginal health indexes (VHI) in the study groups. Results: 153 women (52 for arm A, 50 for arm B and 51 for arm C) completed the follow-up and were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in both primary and secondary outcomes for the three groups after 3 months. At the 6-month follow-up, the number of persistent CIN-1 diagnoses was significantly lower in arm A (15/51), rather than in arm B (23/48, p = 0.03) and C (27/49, p = 0.03). Similarly, the same effect was seen after 12 months for treatment A (5/51) relative to B (15/48, p = 0.03) and C (14/48, p = 0.03). Colposcopic, histological and vaginal parameters were all significantly improved at 6 and 12 months for arm A relative to B and C, while no beneficial effects were seen after 3 months. Conclusions: Echinacea extracts supplementation in women with L-SIL/CIN-1 significantly boosts HPV lesion clearance, reducing the overall amount of diagnosis, histological, colposcopic and vaginal parameters after 6 and 12 months. However, a limited sample size reduces the quality of evaluated evidence, emphasizing the need for additional studies to validate these findings.

Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Echinacea angustifolia Extract against Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae through Niosome Encapsulation.

With the increased occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alternatives to classical antibiotics are urgently needed for treatment of various infectious diseases. Medicinal plant extracts are among the promising candidates due to their bioactive components. The aim of this study was to prepare niosome-encapsulated Echinacea angustifolia extract and study its efficacy against multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Encapsulation was first optimized by Design of Experiments, followed by the empirical study. The obtained niosomes were further characterized for the size and morphology using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Spherical niosomes had a diameter of 142.3 ± 5.1 nm, as measured by DLS. The entrapment efficiency (EE%) of E. angustifolia extract reached up to 77.1% ± 0.3%. The prepared niosomes showed a controlled drug release within the tested 72 h and a storage stability of at least 2 months at both 4 and 25 °C. The encapsulated E. angustifolia displayed up to 16-fold higher antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant K.pneumoniae strains, compared to the free extract. Additionally, the niosome exhibited negligible cytotoxicity against human foreskin fibroblasts. We anticipate that the results presented herein could contribute to the preparation of other plant extracts with improved stability and antibacterial activity, and will help reduce the overuse of antibiotics by controlled release of natural-derived drugs.

Daily intake of a homeopathic agent by dogs modulates white cell defenses and reduces bacterial counts in feces.

Motivated by conventional medicines' ineffectiveness and the appearance of bacterial resistance, homeopathic medicines are being increasingly demanded by the veterinary market. Dog feces contain high bacterial and pathogenic loads, which can cause diseases in animals and facilitate zoonotic transmission. Adequate animal immunity contributes to the elimination of potential pathogens. This work's objective was to evaluate the effects of using a homeopathic medication on blood cell counts, serum protein levels, and fecal bacterial counts in dogs. Two groups were used, each including five 19-month-old Beagle dogs. The homeopathic product Orgainfecto® was sprayed on the two daily meals in the treated group (T), at 0.5 mL/animal/day for 60 days; the group that did not receive the homeopathic was considered the control (C), who were fed only the vehicle used in the production of the homeopathic as a placebo. On days 1, 30, and 60, individual stool samples were collected for bacterial counts in the stool, blood samples for blood counts, and serum for biochemical tests. Total bacterial counts in feces were lower in group T on days 30 and 60 of the experiment, while total coliforms and E coli. were lower in this group on day 60. Total leukocyte counts were lower on day 60 in group T, unlike the neutrophil count, higher in group T on day 30, and eosinophils on day 60. However, the lymphocyte count was lower in group T on days 30 and 60. There was an increase in globulin and total protein in group T on day 60. We conclude that the tested homeopathic causes neutrophils and eosinophils' stimulation and increases globulins levels even with reduced lymphocytes. The daily consumption of homeopathic by dogs decreases the intestinal bacterial load, resulting in less environmental contamination and animal and human colibacillosis risks.

Structure-Based Identification of Natural Products as SARS-CoV-2 Mpro Antagonist from Echinacea angustifolia Using Computational Approaches.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, continues to be a global threat. The number of cases and deaths will remain escalating due to the lack of effective therapeutic agents. Several studies have established the importance of the viral main protease (Mpro) in the replication of SARS-CoV-2 which makes it an attractive target for antiviral drug development, including pharmaceutical repurposing and other medicinal chemistry approaches. Identification of natural products with considerable inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 could be beneficial as a rapid and potent alternative with drug-likeness by comparison to de novo antiviral drug discovery approaches. Thereof, we carried out the structure-based screening of natural products from Echinacea-angustifolia, commonly used to prevent cold and other microbial respiratory infections, targeting SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Four natural products namely, Echinacoside, Quercetagetin 7-glucoside, Levan N, Inulin from chicory, and 1,3-Dicaffeoylquinic acid, revealed significant docking energy (>-10 kcal/mol) in the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro catalytic pocket via substantial intermolecular contacts formation against co-crystallized ligand (<-4 kcal/mol). Furthermore, the docked poses of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with selected natural products showed conformational stability through molecular dynamics. Exploring the end-point net binding energy exhibited substantial contribution of Coulomb and van der Waals interactions to the stability of respective docked conformations. These results advocated the natural products from Echinacea angustifolia for further experimental studies with an elevated probability to discover the potent SARS-CoV-2 Mpro antagonist with higher affinity and drug-likeness.

Echinacea angustifolia DC. Lipophilic Extract Patch for Skin Application: Preparation, In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic isobutylamide (tetraene) is the main component of Echinacea angustifolia DC. lipophilic extract, the bioavailability and immunomodulatory effect after oral administration in soft gel capsules in healthy volunteers of which we have already demonstrated. In the present work, we assessed the transdermal administration as an alternative route of administration of such an alkamide. The first step, therefore, encompassed the preparation of a drug-in-adhesive patch with an area of 868 mm2 and containing a dose of 0.64 mg of tetraene. In vitro skin permeation studies in Franz-type diffusion chambers resulted in a tetraene flux of (103 ± 10) ng × cm-2 × h-1 with a very good linearity (r = 0.99). The relatively low lag time of just 13 min indicates low binding and the accumulation of tetraene in the skin. Finally, the patch was administered to six healthy volunteers, and the pharmacokinetic analysis was performed by nonlinear mixed effects modelling with soft gel oral capsules serving as the reference formulation. The in vivo results correlated well with the in vitro permeation and indicated an initial burst tetraene absorption from the patch that was in parallel with the zero-order kinetics of absorption. The rate of the latter process was in good agreement with the one estimated in vitro. The tetraene absorption rate was therefore slow and prolonged with time, resulting in a bioavailability of 39% relative to the soft gel capsules and a very flat plasma concentration profile.

Anxiofit-1 and reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.

Following an application from Anxiofit Ltd., submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Hungary, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Anxiofit-1 and reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety. The food, Anxiofit-1, Echinacea angustifolia root extract, standardised for the content of echinacoside (at least 3%) and the profile of alkamides, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised. The Panel considers that reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety is a beneficial physiological effect. Subthreshold and mild anxiety are risk factors for anxiety and depressive disorders. One human intervention study showed an effect of Anxiofit-1 (80 mg/day given for 7 days) on the state anxiety and not on the trait subscale in subjects with subthreshold or mild anxiety. These results are supported by two human intervention studies conducted with Anxiofit-1 at 40 mg/day for 7 days and 6 weeks, respectively, which, on their own, cannot be used for the substantiation of the claim either because of methodological limitations or because the results cannot be extrapolated to the target population for the claim. All the human intervention studies submitted have been conducted in a similar setting, the results of the study with Anxiofit-1 given at 80 mg/day have not been confirmed by other research groups. The information submitted by the applicant does not provide evidence for a plausible mechanism by which Anxiofit-1 could exert the claimed effect. The Panel concludes that the scientific evidence is insufficient to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of Anxiofit-1 and reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety.

Pollinator effectiveness in a composite: a specialist bee pollinates more florets but does not move pollen farther than other visitors.

PREMISE: Variation in pollinator effectiveness may contribute to pollen limitation in fragmented plant populations. In plants with multiovulate ovaries, the number of conspecific pollen grains per stigma often predicts seed set and is used to quantify pollinator effectiveness. In the Asteraceae, however, florets are uniovulate, which suggests that the total amount of pollen deposited per floret may not measure pollinator effectiveness. We examined two aspects of pollinator effectiveness-effective pollen deposition and effective pollen movement-for insects visiting Echinacea angustifolia, a composite that is pollen limited in small, isolated populations. METHODS: We filmed insect visits to Echinacea in two prairie restorations and used these videos to quantify behavior that might predict effectiveness. To quantify effective pollen deposition, we used the number of styles shriveled per visit. To quantify effective pollen movement, we conducted paternity analysis on a subset of offspring and measured the pollen movement distance between mates. RESULTS: Effective pollen deposition varied among taxa. Andrena helianthiformis, a Heliantheae oligolege, was the most effective taxon, shriveling more than twice the proportion of styles as all other visitors. Differences in visitor behavior on a flowering head did not explain variation in effective pollen deposition, nor did flowering phenology. On average, visitors moved pollen 16 m between plants, and this distance did not vary among taxa. CONCLUSIONS: Andrena helianthiformis is an important pollinator of Echinacea. Variation in reproductive fitness of Echinacea in fragmented habitat may result, in part, from the abundance of this species.

Combined extracts of Echinacea angustifolia DC. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe in softgel capsules: Pharmacokinetics and immunomodulatory effects assessed by gene expression profiling.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Echinacea angustifolia DC. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe are two natural products with documented immunomodulatory activity, both able to modulate the expression of important immune-related genes. Thus, their use in combination seems to be particularly promising. In this context, we have considered the oral supplementation of a highly standardized lipophilic extract combining both above-mentioned phytocomplexes, formulated in attractive softgel capsules, with two objectives: on the one hand to study oral pharmacokinetic of main active extracts' components and on the other hand to examine the immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory properties by gene expression profiling. METHODS: Softgel capsules containing a combination of E. angustifolia DC. and Z. officinale Roscoe (5 mg and 25 mg, respectively) were given by oral administration to 10 healthy volunteers. The plasma concentrations of dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic isobutylamide (tetraene) for E. angustifolia DC., 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol (free and glucuronide) for Z. officinale Roscoe were determined by LC-MS analysis, and the pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. To understand the functional mechanisms responsible for the documented health benefits, we also examined the overall transcriptional remodeling induced in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and performed an integrative functional analysis on the generated gene expression. RESULTS: All bioactive components were absorbed very rapidly, and their tmax were detected in plasma from 30 min to 1.40 h. The peak concentrations of tetraene, 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol and their glucuronide metabolites were 14.74, 5.66, 9.25, 29.2 and 22.24 ng/ml, respectively. Integrated analysis performed on the generated gene expression data highlighted immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects similar to those exerted by hydrocortisone. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrated that the bioactive ingredients are highly and rapidly absorbed from softgel capsules containing the combination of the above-mentioned lipophilic extracts, providing evidence to support their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. These data also help in defining the mechanistic pathways underlying the health benefits of these plant-derived bioactive compounds.

Mating Opportunity Increases with Synchrony of Flowering among Years More than Synchrony within Years in a Nonmasting Perennial.

The timing and synchrony of mating activity in a population may vary both within and among years. With the exception of masting species, in which reproductive activity fluctuates dramatically among years, mating synchrony is typically studied within years. However, opportunities to mate also vary among years in nonmasting iteroparous species. We demonstrate that studying only within-year flowering synchrony fails to accurately quantify variation in mating opportunity in an experimental population ([Formula: see text]) of a nonmasting species, Echinacea angustifolia. We quantified individuals' synchrony of flowering within and among years and partitioned the contribution of each measure to mean daily mating potential, the number of potential mates per individual per day, averaged over every day that it flowered during the 11-year study period. Individual within- and among-year synchrony displayed wide variation and were weakly correlated. In particular, among-year synchrony explained 39% more variation in mean daily mating potential than did within-year synchrony. Among-year synchrony could have underappreciated significance for mating dynamics in nonmasting species.

Effects of black seed (Nigella sativa), ginger (Zingiber officinale) and cone flower (Echinacea angustifolia) on the immune system of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss / Efeitos de semente preta (Nigella sativa), gengibre (Zingiber officinale) e Flor-de-cone (Echinacea angustifolia) no sistema imunológico de truta arco-íris, Oncorhynchus mykiss

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary essential oils of ginger (Zingiber officinale), black seed (Nigella sativa) and cone flower (Echinacea angustifolia) on the immune system of cultured rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. A total of 360 fish were divided into 4 groups and 3 replicates each containing 30 fish. The fish were fed for 21 days with 1% of the herbal essential oils and with unsupplemented diet as the control group. Haematological and immune parameters including serum lysozyme, number of phagocytic bacteria, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC, number of RBC and WBC were studied. Treatments recorded enhancement in immune parameters compared to the control group. Significantly higher serum lysozyme level and phagocytic germs were detected in the groups fed black seed, ginger and cone flower (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in RBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH and MCHC of fish fed the diets containing essential oils and the control group (P>0.05). The results of this study demonstrated that essential oils might strengthen the non-specific immunity of rainbow trout.(AU)

Avaliou-se a eficácia de uma dieta com semente preta (Nigella sativa), gengibre (Zingiber officinale) e Flor-de-cone (Echinacea angustifolia) sobre o sistema imunológico de truta arco-íris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) em cultivo. Um total de 360 peixes foram divididos em 4 grupos com 3 repetições cada, contendo 30 peixes. Os peixes foram alimentados por 21 dias com 1% de óleo essencial herbáceo e com dieta comercial não suplementada como controle. Parâmetros imunes e hematológicos incluindo soro lisozima, número de bactéria fagocítica, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC, número de RBC e WBC foram estudados. Os tratamentos registraram a melhoria em parâmetros imunes comparados ao grupo de controle. Foram detectadas concentrações de lisozima no soro e germes fagocíticos significativamente altos em grupos que receberam semente preta, gengibre e Flor-de-cone (P<0.05). Porém, não foi encontrada diferença significativa em RBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH e MCHC nos peixes alimentados com dietas contendo óleos essenciais e no grupo de controle (P>0.05). Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram que óleos essenciais podem aumentar a imunidade não específica da truta arco-íris.(AU)

The effect and safety of highly standardized Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia) extract supplementation on inflammation and chronic pain in NSAIDs poor responders. A pilot study in subjects with knee arthrosis.

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of Zingiber officinale and Echinacea angustifolia extract supplementation (25 mg of ginger and 5 mg of Echinacea) for 30 days on inflammation and chronic pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Consecutive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory-drugs (NSAIDs) poor responders with chronic inflammation and pain due to knee arthrosis were assessed (15 subjects, age: 67.2 ± 7.9, body mass index: 30.6 ± 7.1, men/women:2/13). The primary endpoint was to determine pain improvement from baseline to Day 30 by Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring. The secondary endpoints were the assessment of Visual Analog Scale for Pain, health-related quality of life, by the ShortForm36 (SF-36), anthropometric parameters, hydration. After supplementation, a significant improvement of 12.27 points was observed for Lysholm scale score (p < 0.05), SF-36 (p < 0.05), and a decrease in -0.52 cm in knee circumference (left) (p < 0.01). This pilot study provides feasibility and safety data for the use of highly standardised ginger and Echinacea extract supplementation in people with knee OA.

Un caso clínico de fractura dental y su abordaje clínico homeopático / A clinical case of dental fracture and its clinical homeopathic approach

Se presenta un caso de trauma dentoalveolar en un paciente masculino de 22 años de edad, al sufrir un asalto en la Ciudad de México. El paciente acude al consultorio dental 29 horas posteriores al incidente; durante la exploración se identifican edema y laceraciones en los labios; movilidad de los dientes centrales superiores y fractura del ángulo mesio-incisal del lateral superior derecho. El estudio radiográfico muestra fractura de las coronas en los centrales superiores. El abordaje terapéutico combinó Homeopatía, tratamiento endodóntico, periodontal y prótesis. Los medicamentos que se administraron fueron: Arnica montana, Hypericum perforatum, Calendula officinalis y Echinacea angustifolia (nombre de marca: Gavosim); se prescindió de antibióticos y antiinflamatorios. A las cuatro semanas del tratamiento endodóntico se remitió al paciente con el periodoncista, y cuatro semanas después, con el protesista. Al final, se logró la rehabilitación total. Se concluye que los medicamentos prescritos facilitaron la recuperación de los tejidos periodontales.

Proliferative activity of a blend of Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea root extracts in human vein epithelial, HeLa, and QBC-939 cell lines, but not in Beas-2b cell lines.

Echinacea is used for its immunostimulating properties and may have a role in modulating adverse immune effects of chemotherapy (i.e., use of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); fluorouracil and its immunosuppressive effect). Patients may seek herbal remedies such as Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea) for immune stimulation. Echinacea extracts have been prescribed to supplement cancer chemotherapy for their immune-supportive effects; however, the extracts may also influence tumourgenesis. Our study aimed to determine the proliferative effect of the ethanolic blend of E. angustifolia and E. purpurea on various cancer cervical and bile duct cell lines, including HELA and QBC-939. Various cancer cells (HeLa and QBC-939) and human vein epithelial cells (HUVEC) were treated with the Echinacea blend sample that was evaporated and reconstituted in Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). As the extract concentration of Echinacea was increased from 12.5 µg/mL to 25 µg/mL, there was an increase in cell inhibition up to 100%, which then reduced to 90% over the next three concentrations, 50 µg/mL, 100 µg/mL, and 200 µg/mL, in HeLa cells; further inhibitory effects were observed in QBC-939 cells, from 9% inhibition at a concentration of 25 µg/mL up to 37.96% inhibition at 100 µg/mL concentration. Moreover, this is the first study to report the growth-promoting effects of this Echinacea blend in HUVEC, up to 800% at a dose concentration of 200 µg/mL. Previous studies have suggested that chicoric acid of Echinacea spp. is responsible for the increased cell growth. The results of this study show that the hydroethanolic extract of Echinacea herbal medicine promotes the growth of HeLa cells and QBC-939 cancer cell proliferation, and may interfere with cancer treatment (i.e., chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and Cisplatin (DDP)). However, the Echinacea blend shows potential in neurodegenerative diseases with growth-promoting effects in HUVEC. Further animal trials (in vivo effect) measuring dose toxicology are necessary to demonstrate the interaction of this blend with body and tumor growth, and also any positive synergistic or adverse interaction with chemotherapeutic drugs listed, so as to confirm the current observation and epithelial tissue growth or regeneration in a neurodegenerative disease model.

Pharmacokinetics and immunomodulatory effect of lipophilic Echinacea extract formulated in softgel capsules.

An attractive herbal product, softgel capsules containing 10 mg of Echinacea angustifolia lipophilic extract, was given in a single oral administration to 10 human volunteers to perform a pharmacokinetic and immunological study. The plasma concentration of the major constituent was monitored, quantifying at predetermined time points the dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic isobutylamides (tetraene). The plasmatic levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-a in samples collected before and 24 h after drug administration were analyzed by cytokine assay. The total RNA was extracted from limpho-monocyte isolated from the same blood samples and the same cytokines in terms of gene expression were evaluated. With the help of proper statistical tests the differences between the values obtained at 0 and 24 h were evaluated. Results of pharmacokinetic studies attest an approximately 3.5-fold improvement of tetraene oral bioavailability compared with previously published studies. Dodeca-2E,4E-dienoic acid isobutylamide exerts immunomodulatory effects down-regulating the gene expression and reducing the protein plasmatic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL-8, and up-regulating the expression of anti-inflammatory molecules as IL-10. Student's two-sided paired t-test and non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney signed rank test agree in the conclusions about the differences between the ln values at 24 h and corresponding ln values at 0 h.

Safety and compliance of a complex homeopathic drug (Contramutan N Saft) in the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections: A large observational (non-interventional) study in children and adults focussing on homeopathy specific adverse reactions versus adverse drug reactions.

BACKGROUND: This non-interventional study was performed to generate data on safety and treatment effects of a complex homeopathic drug (Contramutan N Saft). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1050 outpatients suffering from common cold were treated with the medication for 8days. The study was conducted in 64 outpatient practices of medical doctors trained in CAM. Tolerability, compliance and the treatment effects were assessed by the physicians and by patient diaries. Adverse events were collected and assessed with specific attention to homeopathic aggravation and proving symptoms. Each adverse effect was additionally evaluated by an advisory board of experts. RESULTS: The physicians detected 60 adverse events from 46 patients (4.4%). Adverse drug reactions occurred in 14 patients (1.3%). Six patients showed proving symptoms (0.57%) and only one homeopathic aggravation (0.1%) appeared. The rate of compliance was 84% in average for all groups and the global assessment of the treatment effects attributed to "good" and "very good" in 84.9% of all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The homeopathic complex drug was shown to be safe and effective for children and adults likewise. Adverse reactions specifically related to homeopathic principles are very rare. All observed events recovered quickly and were of mild to moderate intensity.

Immunomodulation mediated by a herbal syrup containing a standardized Echinacea root extract: a pilot study in healthy human subjects on cytokine gene expression.

In this study, the immunomodulatory effect of a triply standardized Echinacea angustifolia root extract (Polinacea(®)) was evaluated in 10 healthy subjects. Ten ml of syrup containing one hundred mg of extract (corresponding to 4.7 mg of Echinacoside and 8.0mg of a high molecular weight-20,000 Da- polysaccharide) were administered as a herbal syrup once a day for one month. The immunomodulatory effect was evaluated before and after herbal syrup administration evaluating the expression levels of the cytokines IL-2, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α. Cytokine expression was studied in lympho-monocytes and in plasma samples measuring the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. The results were analysed by ANOVA and non-parametric Friedman rank sum tests; when possible it was adopted a pair-wise comparisons at different post-treatment times, using the paired t-tests with Holm correction. The correlation between the variations of cytokine plasma levels and the respective mRNA was carried out using a linear regression model. In lympho-monocytes our data indicate the up-regulation of the mRNA levels of IL-2 and IL-8 and the down regulation of the mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL6. The differential regulation was maximal after 14 days of treatment. IL-2 up-regulation and IL-6 down-regulation were also confirmed at the protein level in plasma. Finally, the up-regulation of the mRNA of IL-2/IL-8 and the down-regulation of IL-6 positively correlated with the protein levels detected in the plasma. In conclusion, this pilot study suggests a relevant role for the standardized Echinacea angustifolia root extract in the control of cytokine expression. This first demonstration of the immuno-modulating activity of Echinacea angustifolia root extract in the healthy subject, supports at least in part the common use of such products as health promoting supplement.