PHELA is a herbal traditional medicine that is under development for use as an immune booster in immune compromised individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine PHELA's mechanism of action by observing for changes in cytokine profiles. Four groups of Sprague Dawley rats (n = 8) were treated daily and separately with normal-saline, cyclosporine-A, PHELA-only and PHELA+ cyclosporine-A. Thereafter, 4 animals from each group were sacrificed after 7 and 14 days of treatment. Serum Th1 cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-ά) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) were measured by ELISA. The concentrations of Th1 cytokines in the PHELA-only treated group were similar to the control group on days 7 and 14. However, the Th1 cytokines were higher in the PHELA+cyclosporine-A treated group compared to cyclosporine-A group, and cyclosporine-A concentrations were similar in both groups. These results show that PHELA did not stimulate Th1 cytokines of a normal immune system but stimulated them when the immune system was suppressed by cyclosporine-A. In conclusion, PHELA is an immune-stimulant to a compromised immune system.
Globally, the search for safe and potent natural-based treatment for depression is receiving renewed interest given the numerous side-effects associated with many existing drugs. In South Africa, the use of plants to manage depression and related symptoms is fairly documented among different ethnic groups. In the current study, we reviewed existing ethnobotanical, ethnopharmacological and phytochemical studies on South African medicinal plants used to manage depression. Electronic databases were accessed for scientific literature that meets the inclusion criteria. Plants with ethnobotanical evidence were subjected to a further pharmacological review to establish the extent (if any) of their effectiveness as antidepressants. Critical assessment resulted in 20 eligible ethnobotanical records, which generated an inventory of 186 plants from 63 plant families. Due to the cultural differences observed in the definition of depression, or lack of definition in some cultures, most plants are reported to treat a wide range of atypical symptoms related to depression. Boophone disticha, Leonotis leonurus and Mentha longifolia were identified as the three most popular plants, with over eight mentions each from the ethnobotanical records. The dominant families were Asteraceae (24), Fabaceae (16), Amaryllidaceae (10), and Apocynaceae (10) which accounted for about 32% of the 186 plants. Only 27 (≈14.5%) of the plants have been screened for antidepressant activity using in vitro and in vivo models. Agapanthus campanulatus, Boophone disticha, Hypericum perforatum, Mondia whitei and Xysmalobium undulatum, represent the most studied plants. Phytochemical investigation on nine out of the 27 plants revealed 24 compounds with antidepressant-like effects. Some of these included buphanidrine and buphanamine which were isolated from the leaves of Boophone disticha, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and cannabichromene obtained from the buds of Cannabis sativa and carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid and salvigenin from Rosmarinus officinalis, A significant portion (≈85%) of 186 plants with ethnobotanical records still require pharmacological studies to assess their potential antidepressant-like effects. This review remains a valuable reference material that may guide future ethnobotanical surveys to ensure their robustness and validity as well as database to identify promising plants to screen for pharmacology efficacy.
PHELA is a herbal mixture of four African traditional medicinal plants that has been used for decades in wasting conditions and is now being developed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) as an immune booster for patients with compromised immune system. A chromatographic fingerprint of PHELA was needed for quality control purposes. Here, a comprehensive method for fingerprinting of PHELA using different chromatographic techniques is described. It involved extraction of the PHELA by either acidic or a simple 'salting-out' method, followed by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) analysis and/or preparative Column Chromatography (CC). The products were thereafter analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV-detector (HPLC-UV), HPLC with fluorescence-detector (HPLC-FL) and Gas-Chromatography with a Mass Selective Detector spectrometer (GC-MSD). The fingerprints were successfully used to differentiate PHELA from another common herbal product made from Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort), thereby illustrating its high potential for use in fingerprinting of PHELA and in differentiating it from other herbal medicines. By validating the different chromatographic techniques on the standardized extraction methods, this approach will enable wide application in quality control of PHELA using acceptable procedures, thereby promoting effective monitoring of the finished product in all countries where it will be used.
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