Plantago major L. leaves have been used as a wound healing remedy for centuries in almost all parts of the world and in the treatment of a number of diseases apart from wound healing. These include diseases related to the skin, respiratory organs, digestive organs, reproduction, the circulation, against cancer, for pain relief and against infections. P. major contains biologically active compounds such as polysaccharides, lipids, caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides and terpenoids. Alkaloids and some organic acids have also been detected. A range of biological activities has been found from plant extracts including wound healing activity, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, weak antibiotic, immuno modulating and antiulcerogenic activity. Some of these effects may attribute to the use of this plant in folk medicine.

No abstract

The interaction between a pectin type polysaccharide fraction, PMII, isolated from the leaves of Plantago major, and human complement was tested in two different hemolytic complement-®xation tests and in addition by two ELISA methods detecting complement-activation products. Sera were used as a complement source of 10 arbitrary human volunteers, individually and as a pool. The complement-®xation tests were designed to measure the concentration of the pectin necessary to inhibit 50% of the hemolysis (ICH 50 ). The ELISA tests for complement-activation products were measured in AU/mg using a fully activated serum as a standard. We observed a more than 200-fold difference in ICH 50 activity of the PMII pectin in one of the hemolytic tests by varying the individual sera used as complement-source. On the other hand, the ELISA complement-activation tests showed no signi®cant variation in activity of the PMII depending on the complement-serum used. The level of antibodies against PMII detected in the complement-sera did not correlate with the ICH 50 activity of PMII. The results show that PMII is a potent complement activator with an activity of the same order of magnitude on a weight basis as that of aggregated human immunoglobulin (Ig)G. This activation leads to a complement consumption probably explaining the PMII's effect in the complement®xation tests. PMII seems to be an activator both on the classical and the alternative pathway of activation. The results might be related to the reported wound-healing effect of the leaves of Plantago major.

Polysaccharide fractions were isolated fromThe other biologically active fraction, PM 11% is composed of 75% galacturonic acid, 3% rhamnose, 6% arabmose and 8% galactose. Structure analysis indicates that PM 11% is a pectin type polysaccharide.

Yeast-derived beta-glucans (Y-BG) are considered immunomodulatory compounds suggested to enhance the defense against infections and exert anticarcinogenic effects. Specific preparations have received Generally Recognized as Safe status and acceptance as novel food ingredients by European Food Safety Authority. In human trials, orally administered Y-BG significantly reduced the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in individuals susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections, whereas significant differences were not seen in healthy individuals. Increased salivary IgA in healthy individuals, increased IL-10 levels in obese subjects, beneficial changes in immunological parameters in allergic patients, and activated monocytes in cancer patients have been reported following Y-BG intake. The studies were conducted with different doses (7.5-1500 mg/day), using different preparations that vary in their primary structure, molecular weight, and solubility. In animal models, oral Y-BG have reduced the incidence of bacterial infections and levels of stress-induced cytokines and enhanced antineoplastic effects of cytotoxic agents. Protective effects toward drug intoxication and ischemia/reperfusion injury have also been reported. In conclusion, additional studies following good clinical practice principles are needed in which well-defined Y-BG preparations are used and immune markers and disease endpoints are assessed. Since optimal dosing may depend on preparation characteristics, dose-response curves might be assessed to find the optimal dose for a specific preparation.