Bioactivity of the Essential Oil of Bupleurum fruticosum

Abstract

The essential oil of Bupleurum fruticosum was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively together with the anti-inflammatory activity of the whole essential oil and its major components. In addition, antispasmodic activity was determined in rat uterus preparations using acetylcholine and oxytocin as agonists. The anti-inflammatory activity shown by the essential oil can be attributed in part to the two major components, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, although the presence of thymol and carvacrol, minor components capable of potentiating the action of these hydrocarbons, was also confirmed.

Genus Bupleurum: a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology and modes of action

“…For instance, the anti-inflammatory activity of intraperitoneally and orally administered essential oils of B. gibraltaricum and B. fruticosum and their major components were evaluated against both acute inflammation using carrageenan-induced oedema model and chronic proliferative inflammation by evaluating the granuloma formation. [16,18] The two oils showed a dose-dependent activity in both systems but the effect was more obvious in the acute test and by the intraperitoneal route. In addition, B. gibraltaricum oil was more active than B. fruticosum oil and exhibited about one-third of the activity shown by indometacin in the paw oedema model.…”

“…This difference can be used to distinguish between oils from Italy or Spain and those from China. [16][17][18][19] …”

“…(+) PGE2 production [84,92] Saikosaponin B2 (+) PGE2 production [73,84,92] (-) Human coronavirus (HCoV) replication Saikogenin D (-) PGE2 production [95] B. fruticescens Butanol extract (-) Acute inflammation [96] Methanol extract (-) 5-LOX, COX-1 [97] Essential oil (-) Acute inflammation [17] Fruticesaponin B (-) Acute inflammation [96] B. fruticosum Petroleum ether extract (-) IL-1b, IL-6, TNF-a, PGE2 [98] Essential oil (-) Acute and chronic inflammation [18,99] Oxytocin antagonism Antifungal Saikosaponin fraction Hepatoprotective against DMN [100] Morinin L (-) IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a, NF-kB [101] Buddlejasaponin IV Hepatoprotective against DMN [100] B. gibraltaricum Methanol extract (-) Acute inflammation [102] Essential oil (-) Acute and chronic inflammation [16,19] Oxytocin antagonism Antibacterial, antifungal Saikosaponin I (-) Acute inflammation [102] B. kaoi Saponin-rich fraction Hepatoprotective against CCL4 [103][104][105][106] (-) sGOT, sGPT, AST and ALT levels (+) IFN-g level Cytotoxic against A549 cell line Water extract (+) IFN-g and GSH levels [66,105] (-) Coxsackie B1 replication Polysaccharide-rich fraction (-) sGOT and sGPT levels [105] (+) IFN-g and GSH levels…”

“…The absence of D 3 -carene in B. fruticosum oil is apparently the reason for the reduced activity compared with B. gibraltaricum oil. [18] Essential oils of B. gibraltaricum from different localities differed mainly in the composition of D 3 -carene, b-pinene and a-pinene components. Bupleurum oils rich in D 3 -carene and b-pinene were active against acute inflammation while those with lower concentrations failed to exert such activity.…”

Interaction of phenol derivatives with ion channels

“…thymol, eugenol and carvacrol [4][5][6][7][8] are the active ingredients in the essential oils of plants occurring in the Mediterranean flora. Several beneficial effects have been ascribed to these essential oils, among others their strong bactericidal and antifungal activity [5,[9][10][11][12] and their anti-inflammatory properties [4,[13][14][15]. In addition, aromatic alcohols with intact phenolic groups and different phenol derivatives have been shown to act as scavengers of reactive oxygen species, thus protecting neurons effectively against oxidative damage and cell death [16].…”