Chelidonium majus – an Integrative Review: Traditional Knowledge versus Modern Findings

Abstract

Chelidonium majus L. (family Papaveraceae), or greater celandine, is an important plant in western phytotherapy and in traditional Chinese medicine. Crude extracts of C. majus as well as purified compounds derived from it exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities (antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumoral, analgesic, hepatoprotective) that support some of the traditional uses of C. majus. However, herbal medicine also claims that this plant has several important properties which have not yet been scientifically studied: C. majus is supposed to have diuretic, antitussive and eye-regenerative effects. On the other hand, C. majus also has scientifically proven effects, e.g. anti-osteoporotic activity and radioprotection, which are not mentioned in traditional sources. Moreover, recent controversy about the hepatoprotective versus hepatotoxic effects of Chelidonium majus has renewed the interest of the medical community in this plant. This review is intended to integrate traditional ethno-medical knowledge and modern scientific findings about C. majus in order to promote understanding of its therapeutic actions as well as its toxic potential.

Antioxidant Activity and Its Mechanism of Chelidonium majus Extract

“…CM extract contains isoquinoline alkyloids such as sanguinarine, chelidonine, chelerythrine, berberine, protopine, and coptisine (Gilca et al, 2010). Expression of pgp (p-glycoprotein) was increased by chelidonine which is the component of CM extract.…”

“…It contains isoquiniline alkaloids such as sanguinarine, chelidonine, chelerythrine, berberine, propopine, and coptisine (Gilca et al, 2010). CM has a various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory (Park et al, 2011), antimicrobial (Meng et al, 2009), antioxidant (Nadova et al, 2008), anticancer (Habermehl et al, 2006;Noureini and Wink, 2009;Paul et al, 2012), immunomodulatory (Chung et al, 2004), radioprotective (Song et al, 2003), and nephronprotective activities (Koriem et al, 2013).…”

Plant Extracts and Plant-Derived Compounds: Promising Players in Countermeasure Strategy Against Radiological Exposure: A Review

“…It has multiple applications in folk medicine because of its antitumoral, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities (Saglam and Arar, 2003;Lanvers-Kaminsky et al, 2006;Biswas et al, 2008;Kulp and Bragina, 2013) and has recently been reported to contain different pathogenesisrelated and low molecular inducible antimicrobial peptides (Nawrot et al, 2014). Reports showed that the crude extracts and its main components-isoquinoline, other alkaloids (such as sanguinarine, chelidonine, chelerythrine, berberine, protopine and coptisine), flavonoids and phenolic acids contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, antitumoral and many other therapeutic properties (Jiang and Dusting, 2003;Palombo, 2006;Talhouk et al, 2007;Nadova et al, 2008;Zuo et al, 2008;Cahlíkova et al, 2010;Gilca et al, 2010, Kulp et al, 2011Yao et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2011;Koriem et al, 2013;Kuenzel et al, 2013). Reports also showed that the methanolic extract of C. majus (CME) administered orally to collageninduced arthritis (CIA) mice (at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight (b.w.…”

Effects of Chelidonium majus extracts and major alkaloids on hERG potassium channels and on dog cardiac action potential — A safety approach

“…Furthermore, its yellow-orange fresh latex has traditionally been applied for the treatment of warts and corns, and also for other skin complaints including tinea infections, eczema and different tumors of the skin [1]. C. majus derived extracts and purified compounds exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumoral, analgesic, anti-spasmodic and hepatoprotective effects [2][3][4][5]. It is an official drug in the European Pharmacopoeia Fitoterapia 100 (2015) [156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163][164][165] (01/2008:1861), but also widely utilized in the traditional Chinese medicine [2,3].…”