Abstract
The extracts of Prunella vulgaris L. (Labiatae), a popular Western and Chinese herbal medicine, was shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which might be due to partially, their rosmarinic acid content. Inhition of prostaglandine E2 (PGE2) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells was assessed with an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) following 8-hour treatments with Prunella vulgaris extracts or fractions. Results showed that 95% ethanol extracts from P. vulgaris significantly inhibited PGE2 production. In further studies, fraction 2 from the 95% ethanol extract of P. vulgaris significantly reduced PGE2 production at 66 µg/ml (72% reduction). Cytotoxic-ity did not play a role in the noted reduction of PGE2 seen in either the extracts or fractions from P. vulgaris. High performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that there was 1.4 mM rosmarinic acid in 95% ethanol Prunella extract (201 mg/ml crude extract). Our results suggest that rosmarinic acid may contribute toward the anti-inflammatory activity of Prunella in a dose-response manner. Prunella might have a potential to be used as a functional food for anti-inflammatory activity.
Highlights
The medical use of herbal products has increased in the world including the United States and Asian countries
Inhition of prostaglandine E2 (PGE2) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells was assessed with an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) following 8-hour treatments with Prunella vulgaris (P. vulgaris) extracts or fractions
Our results suggest that rosmarinic acid may contribute toward the anti-inflammatory activity of Prunella in a dose-response manner
Summary
The medical use of herbal products has increased in the world including the United States and Asian countries. (Labiatae), a plant known as “selfhealing” was popular in traditional European medicine during the 17th century as a remedy for alleviating sore throat, reducing fever and accelerating wound healing. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial effects of P. vulgaris extract have been likewise demonstrated [2,3,6,7]. Both P. vulgaris and laciniata have been shown to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation [8,9,10]. The genus Prunella (Lamiaceae) includes 7 - 15 species, with two that have been widely studied as medicinal plants: P. vulgaris ( known as self-heal) and P. laciniata. Phytochemical studies showed that P. vulgaris contains oleanolic, betulinic, ursolic, 2-alpha, 3-alpha-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic and 2-alpha, 3-alpha-ursolic acids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, tannins and anionic polysaccharide prunelline [5,11]
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