ISSN:
1365-2036
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Herbal remedies used by patients for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease include slippery elm, fenugreek, devil’s claw, Mexican yam, tormentil and wei tong ning, a traditional Chinese medicine. Reactive oxygen metabolites produced by inflamed colonic mucosa may be pathogenic. Aminosalicylates (5-ASA) are antioxidant and other such agents could be therapeutic.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉Aims:To assess the antioxidant effects of herbal remedies in cell-free oxidant-generating systems and inflamed human colorectal biopsies.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉Methods:Luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence in a xanthine/xanthine oxidase cell-free system was used to detect superoxide scavenging by herbs and 5-ASA, and fluorimetry to define peroxyl radical scavenging using a phycoerythrin degradation assay. Chemiluminescence was used to detect herbal effects on generation of oxygen radicals by mucosal biopsies from patients with active ulcerative colitis.〈section xml:id="abs1-4"〉〈title type="main"〉Results:Like 5-ASA, all herbs, except fenugreek, scavenged superoxide dose-dependently. All materials tested scavenged peroxyl dose-dependently. Oxygen radical release from biopsies was reduced after incubation in all herbs except Mexican yam, and by 5-ASA.〈section xml:id="abs1-5"〉〈title type="main"〉Conclusions:All six herbal remedies have antioxidant effects. Fenugreek is not a superoxide scavenger, while Mexican yam did not inhibit radical generation by inflamed biopsies. Slippery elm, fenugreek, devil’s claw, tormentil and wei tong ning merit formal evaluation as novel therapies in inflammatory bowel disease.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01157.x
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