Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Plant Components in Complex Therapy for Acute Female Cystitis

Abstract

It is well known that phytotherapy as a method of treatment and prevention of diseases with the use of medicinal plants and their extracts has a positive effect not only on the organ, but also on the whole body as a whole. The objective: to analyze the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of a combined herbal remedy, which includes such active ingredients as castor oil (Castor oil), α-pinene, peppermint oil (Mentha piperita oil), extract of common nettle grass (Leonuri cardiacae), juniper berry oil (Juniperus oil), Ammi dental extract (Ammi visnaga), chamomile flower extract (Matricaria chamomilla), in young women with acute cystitis (AC). Materials and methods. 50 outpatient women with AC aged 18 to 35 years (average age – 25.9±6.1 years) took part in the study. The diagnosis was established on the basis of complaints, the results of the acute cystitis symptom score (ACSS), anamnesis data, physical examination and was confirmed by laboratory tests, clinical and biochemical blood tests were performed, and indicators of immune status were determined. The patients were divided into two groups of 25 people each. The groups were comparable in terms of age, severity of clinical symptoms, and laboratory parameters. Patients of the control group received a standard course of antibacterial therapy for 7 days. Women in the main group additionally took the combined herbal preparation at a dose of 1 capsule twice a day for 30 days and then for another 60 days at a dose of 1 capsule once a day. Follow-up visits were in 7 days after the first and 1 and 3 months after the start of therapy. During the study, the dynamics of complaints, the results of the ACSS questionnaire and laboratory analyzes of urine and blood were evaluated, and indicators of immune status and parameters of the oxidative stress-antioxidant status system were determined. Results. After a course of etiotropic treatment it was determined that the average duration of AC symptoms in patients of the control group was 1.67 times longer than in women of the main group (p<0.05). After a month of using the combined herbal preparation, stabilization of the antioxidant protection system was observed, namely: indicators of oxidative stress in the main group were significantly more positive than in the control group (p<0.01); indicators of the antioxidant system reached the norm and had significant differences compared to the control group (p<0.05). In the main group, an increase in the functional reserve of phagocytic cells was observed, a pronounced increase in the number of cells capable of phagocytosis was determined, and the absorptive activity of neutrophils was also significantly greater than in the control group (p<0.05). During the 3-month prophylactic course of treatment with the herbal preparation, the absence of recurrent disease was found in 96% of patients in the main group, in contrast to women in the control group, where the absence of reinfection was determined in only 72% of patients (p<0.05). Conclusions. The use of a combined herbal preparation in a dose of 1 capsule 2 times a day in addition to the standard therapy of acute cystitis (AC) in women reliably shortens the duration of clinical symptoms and promotes faster clinical and laboratory recovery. After 30 days of use there is a normalization of indicators of oxidative stress, antioxidant protection and phagocytic activity of neutrophils. Complex therapy of AC with the inclusion of herbal medicine for 3 months is associated with significantly fewer cases of reinfection of the urinary tract compared to treatment without herbal therapy.