Abstract
Throughout history, medicinal purposes of plants have been studied, documented, and acknowledged as an integral part of human healthcare systems. The development of modern medicine still relies largely on this historical knowledge of the use and preparation of plants and their extracts. Further research into the human microbiome highlights the interaction between immunomodulatory responses and plant-derived, prebiotic compounds. One such group of compounds includes the inulin-type fructans (ITFs), which may also act as signaling molecules and antioxidants. These multifunctional compounds occur in a small proportion of plants, many of which have recognized medicinal properties. Echinacea is a well-known medicinal plant and products derived from it are sold globally for its cold- and flu-preventative and general health-promoting properties. Despite the well-documented phytochemical profile of Echinacea plants and products, little research has looked into the possible role of ITFs in these products. This review aims to highlight the occurrence of ITFs in Echinacea derived formulations and the potential role they play in immunomodulation.
Highlights
Laboratory of Molecular Plant Biology, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, contributing senior authors
While immunomodulatory aspects of an array of different biomolecules occurring in Echinacea preparations have been highlighted before [13,14,15,16,17], here we review knowledge on Echinacea derived inulin-type fructans (ITFs) and highlight their presence in commercially available Echinacea products
It has been demonstrated that FOS enhances the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), a group of nuclear receptor proteins that function as transcription factors to modulate the expression of several genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as cell proliferation, differentiation, and death [45,46]
Summary
The use of herbal medicine is an ancient practice that relies on the use of a broad range of plant and plant-derived products (botanical materials) for medicinal purposes. The uncertainties (pertaining to efficacy and safety) arising around the use of MM therapeutics is one of the driving factors to search for alternative or complementary medicines in the form of natural resources. In this regard, the use of herbal medicines for immunomodulation could, provide an effective and safe complement to MM [5,6,7]. The potential contribution of ITFs to immunomodulatory effects in the human body is discussed
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