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Essential Oils as Carrier Oils
Published in K. Hüsnü Can Başer, Gerhard Buchbauer, Handbook of Essential Oils, 2020
Romana Aichinger, Gerhard Buchbauer
Chuanxiong oil is obtained from Rhizoma Chuanxiong, part of Ligusticum chuanxiong, which is a member from the Umbelliferae family; it is often used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure gynecological and cardiovascular diseases. The EO is extracted by steam distillation and consists of many phthalide components under which ligustilide with 41.28% forms the major component that is able to attenuate pain. Thus, the EO shows analgesic activity itself and causes synergistic effects beside its penetration enhancement effect. Chuanxiong oil with its phthalides is suggested to be the best appropriate penetration enhancer for the lipophilic ibuprofen—which possesses the poorest bioavailability among NSAIDs—due to the increased steady state flux and the highest obtained permeation rate of 52.05 ± 7.83 μg/cm2/h compared with the control rate of 14.57 ± 3.47 μg/cm2/h. To facilitate the penetration of ibuprofen in order to obtain an effective blood level, Chuanxiong oil disrupts and extracts the SC lipid structure and makes it possible for ibuprofen to overcome the barrier through intercellular spaces. So, the EO and the drug make a good combination to treat dysmenorrhea as they reduce cramping pain and writhing times—attributed to decreased Ca2+ levels, increased NO levels, and the reduction of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins—when applied at the abdominal region (Chen et al., 2015).
Herbs with Antidepressant Effects
Published in Scott Mendelson, Herbal Treatment of Major Depression, 2019
Ligusticum chuanxiong has traditionally been used in China in the treatment of stroke. Ferulic acid, which is present in significant concentration in the herb, can reduce cerebral infarct area and neurological deficit score. The mechanism has been attributed to inhibition of superoxide radicals, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and NF-κB expression in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion rats. Thus, the benefits are likely due to both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.2 This also speaks to its central effects.
The Influence of Environmental Pollution on Secondary Metabolite Production in Medicinal Plants
Published in Azamal Husen, Environmental Pollution and Medicinal Plants, 2022
Swati T. Gurme, Mahendra L. Ahire, Jaykumar J. Chavan, Pankaj S. Mundada
Exposure of medicinal plants to heavy metals not only influences the concentration of secondary metabolites but also manipulates the content of associated anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and some essential oils too. The decrease in the level of essential oil and growth of the plant was assessed in the case of Mentha piperita (cv Tundza and Clone No 1) (Lamiaceae) and Mentha arvensis var. piperascens (cv Mentolna-14) on exposure to Pb (Zheljazkov and Nielsen 1996). A study carried out in a greenhouse by Kunwar et al. (2015) shows that exposure of O. basilicum to varying concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Cd-treated soil resulted in quantitative rather than qualitative change in essential oil. The stimulation of jasmonic acid and ethylene upon application of heavy metals was also illustrated in certain plants (Maksymiec 2007). Ethylene regulates the production of alkaloids, hyoscyamine, and scopolamines. A change in the concentration of ethylene ultimately changes the production of these compounds (Pitta-Alvarez et al. 2000). This result was observed in in vitro hairy root culture of Brugmansia candida exposed to Ag. The release of scopolamines is elevated compared to hyoscyamine, and this may be due to ethylene-mediated down-regulation of hyoscyamine-6-β-hydroxylase (H6H) which is responsible for the synthesis of scopolamines from hyoscyamine (Pitta-Alvarez et al. 2000). The combined and individual effects of Pb and Cd were studied on Ligusticum chuanxiong by Zeng et al. (2020). As compared to individual metal exposure, combined exposure conditions resulted in a superior antioxidant defence strategy in L. chuanxiong. This condition affects mainly the content of ferulic acid, tetramethylpyrazine, and ligustilide, along with the total weight of the plant (Zeng et al. 2020). Heavy metal exposure also results in lipid peroxidation and the production of highly active signalling molecules (Gratão et al. 2005).
Senkyunolide A inhibits the progression of osteoarthritis by inhibiting the NLRP3 signalling pathway
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Minglei Shao, Dongwei Lv, Kai Zhou, Haijun Sun, Zhitao Wang
OA is the main reason of chronic disability in the elderly, with about 18% of women and 10% of men suffering from symptomatic OA (Mandl 2019). A population-based cohort study showed that the lifetime risk of patients with symptomatic knee OA was approximately 45% (Tang et al. 2016). There are currently no effective drugs to treat OA disease or slow its progression. Although existing drugs such as acetaminophen, duloxetine, steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can relieve pain of OA patients, they cannot cure OA due to serious adverse reactions and poor efficacy (Zhu et al. 2018). In search of more effective drugs for OA, plant natural products with anti-inflammatory and hypotoxicity have attracted increasing attention, including chuanxiong (Ye et al. 2011). Therefore, this study focussed on the role of SenA, one of the main components isolated from Ligusticum chuanxiong.
Ligustilide alleviates the insulin resistance, lipid accumulation, and pathological injury with elevated phosphorylated AMPK level in rats with diabetes mellitus
Published in Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction, 2021
Sujuan Guo, Guofeng Wang, Zhengxiong Yang
Pathogenesis of DM is complicated, and islet dysfunction serves as an essential element contributing to abnormal blood glucose. Suppression of β-cell apoptosis may suggest a significant breakthrough in DM treatment, since β-cell apoptosis may induce a decrease in β-cell mass [7]. Ligustilide (LIG), the main lipophilic component of the Umbelliferae family such as Angelica sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong, exhibits multiple pharmacological activities including protective effects on apoptotic cells. For example, chondrocytes apoptosis induced by nitric oxide in rats was alleviated by LIG [8]. LIG also showed a protective influence on PC12 cell under oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation through inhibiting apoptosis [9]. The anti-apoptotic function of LIG reported previously suggests a potential effect of LIG on DM, which has yet to be explored.
Ligustilide provides neuroprotection by promoting angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia
Published in Neurological Research, 2020
Changhong Ren, Ning Li, Chen Gao, Wei Zhang, Yong Yang, Sijie Li, Xunming Ji, Yuchuan Ding
The formation of new vessels by angiogenesis is reported to participate in brain plasticity and functional recovery during the chronic phase of stroke [27,28]. Angiogenesis is a key restorative mechanism in response to ischemia [2]. In patients with stroke, there was a significant correlation between the microvessel density in the brain and delayed mortality, suggesting that activated angiogenesis could be beneficial for the ischemic brain [4,29]. A number of reports using rodent models of focal ischemia have described the effects of pharmacological and cell-based treatments to increase angiogenesis [3]. To date, several reports showed that Chinese herbal compounds and individual herbs could promote angiogenesis in cerebral ischemia models and could improve neural functional reconstruction and restoration [30–32]. In the study, we found LGSL, derived from Ligusticum chuanxiong significantly promoted angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.