Antioxidant properties and application information
Roger L. McMullen in Antioxidants and the Skin, 2018
Nordihydroguaiaretic acid occurs naturally in the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), which is native to Mexico and the Southwestern region of the U.S. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid has various pharmacological properties, and for this reason it is often utilized in folk medicine. In addition, it is a potent antioxidant and also inhibits lipoxygenase (enzyme responsible for the formation of lipid hydroperoxide) and cycloxygenase (enzyme responsible for the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin H2) pathways. Up until the 1960s, it was used extensively as a food preservative until it was withdrawn for toxicity reasons. It was determined that the toxicity was a result of the formation of alpha-quinone during nordihydroguaiaretic acid metabolism. Nowadays, some naturopathic practitioners use chaparral (leaves and flowers from the creosote bush); however, it is not recommended by the FDA. Consumers are warned of possible hepatoxicity and renal complications due to chronic use.
Herbal Supplements and Health
Anil K. Sharma, Raj K. Keservani, Surya Prakash Gautam in Herbal Product Development, 2020
Chaparral is used as an intestinal cleanser, a blood purifier, a liver stimulant, and an anti-arthritic, diuretic, antirheumatic, expectorant, antiseptic, and tonic. It is mainly used in canker sores (when combined with sarsaparilla), venereal nodes, and rheumatism. It helps in decreasing the extent and growth of cancerous tumors, malignant melanomas, pimples, and skin cancers, persistent backache, cancer, arthritis, and warts and blotches. Chaparral builds up hair growth, improves vision, and although it is not a laxative, it still helps in increasing bowel elimination. It is also used in kidney infections, prostate gland disorders, leukemia, sinus problems, skin cancer, throat ailments, stomach disorders, and obesity. The twigs and leaves of Larrea mexicana are saturated with boiling water, and then it is applied as an antiseptic lotion. It is also used in the sores of human and pet animals. The flower buds are regularly preserved in vinegar and consumed as capers. In North America, the plant is taken into account as a healing aid for rheumatism (Syphard et al., 2018).
Functions of Essential Oils and Natural Volatiles in Plant-Insect Interactions
K. Hüsnü Can Başer, Gerhard Buchbauer in Handbook of Essential Oils, 2020
All of the world's major biomes contain plants with medicinal properties. Of these, the Mediterranean biome, defined by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers and bounded between 30°–45° N or S latitudes (Cowling et al., 1996), contains multitudes of aromatic plants, many of which have been cultivated for their medicinal and/or culinary properties from prehistoric times (Kantsa et al., 2015). The maquis shrublands of the Mediterranean basin show a remarkable resemblance to the South African fynbos, Californian chaparral, Chilean matorral, and Australian mallee in their physiognomy and ecology, being open, fire-adapted habitats with unusually high degrees of local endemism. Indeed, these five Mediterranean climate regions combined account for less than 3% of the world's land surface yet contain nearly almost 20% of the world's floristic diversity (Rundel et al., 2018).
Bioactivation of herbal constituents: mechanisms and toxicological relevance
Published in Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2019
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (NDGA), a major lignan isolated from the leaves of the evergreen desert shrub Larrea tridentata (Creosote bush) in the southwest United States, has been used in folk medicine for treatment of multiple diseases including cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and cancers (Lü et al. 2010). NDGA has a wide range of pharmacological activities including radical-scavenging, antioxidant, cytoprotective, and antitumoral activities (Hernández-Damián et al. 2014). As a lipophilic antioxidant, NDGA was used as a preservative in food industry and was later withdrawn due to its nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in animals (Grice et al. 1968; Lambert et al. 2002). NDGA is the active ingredient in the herbal medicine Chaparral prepared from the creosote bush, and chronic use has been associated with hepatotoxicity in humans (Sheikh et al. 1997). It has been shown that NDGA, a di-catechol lignan, was oxidized to ortho-quinones to form mono- and di-GSH-NDGA adducts (Jeong et al. 2017) (Figure 11(e)). A toxicological mechanism involving ortho-quinone formation has been suggested to elicit liver and kidney toxicities of NGDA (Billinsky et al. 2007). On the other hand, autoxidation of NGDA to ortho-quinones likely contributed to its pharmacological properties including lipoxygenase inhibition and modulation of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE redox signaling system (Hernández-Damián et al. 2014).
Smoldering and flaming biomass wood smoke inhibit respiratory responses in mice
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2019
Marie McGee Hargrove, Yong Ho Kim, Charly King, Charles E. Wood, M. Ian Gilmour, Janice A. Dye, Stephen H. Gavett
Acute inhalation studies were conducted to assess the relative toxicity of emissions from three distinct biomass fuel types representative of woodland types (pocosin peat for the coastal plains of the Carolinas and Virginia, red oak for forests in the Eastern and Central United States forests, and eucalyptus for chaparral in Southern California) and provide a ranking of their effects on pulmonary and allergic asthmatic responses in mice. This assessment included evaluation of pulmonary function during biomass smoke exposures, and biochemical, pathological, and cellular changes in the lungs of control and house dust mite (HDM)-allergic mice following exposure. We also assessed the concentration–time relationship of biomass smoke toxicity by evaluating the effects of flaming eucalyptus exposures administered over different time periods with the same concentration × time product. The role of the smoke particulate fraction was assessed by repeating the high concentration exposure with a filter to remove the particulate fraction. Results from these studies inform the relative risks of exposure to different biomass emissions in healthy and at-risk populations related to respiratory and lung inflammatory responses.
Endemic mycoses: epidemiology and diagnostic strategies
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2020
Andrés Tirado-Sánchez, Gloria M. González, Alexandro Bonifaz
Different types of cactus and bushes like Larrea tridentata (‘creosote bush’) have been identified as typical vegetation in the kind of soil where this fungus lives. The arthroconidia penetrate the body through the airway, rarely the skin, although lung disease secondarily spreads to the skin and lymphatic tissues [67,73].
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