Phytotherapeutic effects of Echinacea purpurea in gamma-irradiated mice

Abstract

Echinacea (E.) purpurea herb is commonly known as the purple coneflower, red sunflower and rudbeckia. In this paper, we report the curative efficacy of an Echinacea extract in γ-irradiated mice. E. purpurea was given to male mice that were divided into five groups (control, treated, irradiated, treated before irradiation & treated after irradiation) at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight for 2 weeks before and after irradiation with 3 Gy of γ-rays. The results reflected the detrimental reduction effects of γ-rays on peripheral blood hemoglobin and the levels of red blood cells, differential white blood cells, and bone marrow cells. The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) level, Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSPx) activities and DNA fragmentation were also investigated. FT-Raman spectroscopy was used to explore the structural changes in liver tissues. Significant changes were observed in the microenvironment of the major constituents, including tyrosine and protein secondary structures. E. purpurea administration significantly ameliorated all estimated parameters. The radio-protection effectiveness was similar to the radio-recovery curativeness in comparison to the control group in most of the tested parameters. The radio-protection efficiency was greater than the radio-recovery in hemoglobin level during the first two weeks, in lymphoid cell count and TBARs level at the fourth week and in SOD activity during the first two weeks, as compared to the levels of these parameters in the control group.

The effect of Echinacea preparations in three laboratory tests of anxiety: comparison with chlordiazepoxide

“…In addition, the doses that showed anxiolytic effects in the present study (3-7 mg/kg) were about one order of magnitude lower than those that were efficient in laboratory models of traditional indications (30-130 mg/kg; Abouelella et al, 2007;Zhai et al, 2007). This comparison suggests that human anxiolytic doses would be similarly low, which further decreases the risks associated with the potential use of Echinacea preparations for the treatment of anxiety.…”

Comparative evaluation of the polyphenol composition and antioxidant capacity of propolis and Echinacea purpurea

“…Large amounts of cichoric and caftaric acids, which are largely recognized in the inhibition of hyaluronidase secreted by Streptococci and other bacteria to enable penetration into tissue, have been demonstrated with Echinacea plant juice [13]. E.purpurea was used to treat dizziness, snake bites and as an anti-infective agent until the advent of modern antibiotics [3]. Additionally, root extracts of E.purpurea were found to contain antioxidant compounds [14], to be capable of scavenging hydroxyl radicals and to suppress the oxidation of human low-density lipoprotein [15].…”

“…Beside cichoric acid, typical constituents of Echinacea purpurea extracts are echinacoside, chlorogenic acid, cynarine and caftaric acid. All of them are able to inhibit free radical production and lipid peroxidation, involved in the development of inflammation [3].…”

Effect of murine exposure to gamma rays on the interplay between Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes

“…Acute exposure to high doses of radiation rapidly leads to major injuries to the immune system and gastrointestinal tract ( Moroni et al, 2013 ). The deleterious effects of radiation are considered to result mainly from direct induction of DNA damage, apoptosis, necrosis, genomic instability, changes in the microenvironment of the major constituents including protein structure and transformation of cells into tumor cells ( Abouelella et al, 2007 ; Mirzayans et al, 2013 ; Moroni et al, 2013 ; Park et al, 2014 ). Low doses of ionized radiation may induce effects that could not be manifested soon after the exposure.…”