In this study, human intestinal cells (Caco-2 cells) were incubated without or with 100µl /ml Echinacea extracts for 5 hours, after which total RNA was extracted and assayed using reverse transcription-PCR. The results from reverse transcript-PCR suggest that Echinacea extracts are capable of up-regulating the level of ApoA-I gene expression. Caco-2 cells incubated with Echinacea extracts exhibited approximately a 17-fold increase in the level of gene expression as compared to Caco-2 cells without Echinacea extracts (Figure 1). The relative amount of apoA-I protein secreted by the cells into the culture media was also analysed using protein immuno-precipitation followed by SDS-PAGE. Based on the results obtained from densitometric scanning, apoA-I protein synthesis was increased by approximately 3-folds after incubating with Echinacea extracts for 5 hours as compared to the cells without Echinacea extracts (Figure 2). The two sets of results show that Echinacea extracts are capable of up-regulating both gene expression and protein expression of apoA-I, thus supporting the hypothesis that human intestinal cells (Caco-2 cells) incubated with Echinacea extracts will exhibit higher levels of apoA-l gene expression and apoA-l protein expression as compared those without Echinacea extracts.
Since apoA-I is the major protein component of HDL, an increased level of apoA-I expression may imply that a higher level of HDL. In this experiment, Echinacea extracts significantly upregulated apoA-I synthesis, which may in turn result in a higher level of HDL in the body. Experiment using transgenetic and knockout mice have shown that the level of apoA-I expression can directly affect HDL levels which can influence atherosclerosis susceptibility (Rubin et al, 1991) as apoA-I protein is also involved in the synthesis and assembly of HDL. This is supported by Tsujita et al (2005) who found that the main mechanism for HDL assembly by endogenous apoA-I in HepG2 cells is aided by apoA-I, which interacts with cellular ABCA1 to generate HDL. Hence, Echinacea extracts, which are capable of increase apoA-I expression, would also play a part in regulating HDL concentration in the human body.
Although it is clearly shown that Echinacea are capable of regulation apoA-I gene expression, the underlying mechanism has yet been fully elucidated. However, by comparing results with other studies, possible reaction pathways of Echinacea extracts in regulation of apoA-I gene expression can still be suggested. Lamon-Fava and Micherone (2004) conducted an experiment showing that estrogen and genistein increase apoA-I gene transcription in Hep G2, a human liver carcinoma cell line.
CAD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the worldwide. The prevalence of biological and metabolic risk factors were also found to be high in development of coronary artery disease. Patients with hypercholesterolemia are at increased risk to experience cardiovascular events and to die from vascular disease [2]. .Statins, among the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide, are cholesterol let downing agents used to manage cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases and to treat hypercholesterolemia. Statin’s therapy ...
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
Today’s article will take an objective look at the Echinacea plant and why some people take supplements, believing it will help them fight the germs.
In the past decades the incidence of heart disease has increased, about three million people dying of cardiovascular disease in China per year (according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Health of China), which draws people’s great concern to find ways to take precautions. With the development of element analytical method, some types of chemical substances that are beneficial to cardiac health have been found. Lycopene is a very popular natural anti-oxidants found in recent years (Dai, 2011), as well as capsaicin and dietary fiber. Whilst some research focuses on the mechanism of action, little attention has been paid to usability issues, in particular to the generalization of health-giving chemical substances in ordinary meals. There is a lot of evidence that vegetables can positively contribute to prevent heart diseases, by supplying biologically active components. This article continues previous research in the field of Biochemistry and Medical Science, mainly trying to study the effective components which can prevent heart disease in edible vegetables.
Cancer is presently responsible for about 25% of all deaths in US and other developed countries. On a yearly basis, 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with cancer. It can be treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies etc., but all these have side effects and that is why botanical treatment turns useful.
Morphological development starts with a single cell which able to divide or die. The cells are joined by springs and formed the morphological individuals. One of the studies had done in India to determine the morphological characterization of Echinococcus from food producing animals. Cystic echinoccosis is a common infecting in food producing animals. In this research 21,861 animals had been examined and found the highest prevalence of hydatid cysts (5.10 %) followed by buffaloes (3.81%), pig (0.87%) and sheep (0.075%). (Pednekar, 2009,
There is a large body of research into herbal medicines. Great progress has been made in the isolation and identification of the constituents of medicinal plants using high pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Research to identify the main active components is carried out either in a search for new drugs or to enable claims to be made for proprietary herbal preparations. Medicinal plants have been generally shown to have not one but a combination of active principles. Once these principles are found, the next step is learning how to synthesize it
Relevant cell observational tissue cultural studies: Omega-6 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the production of interleukins, chemokines which reduces atherosclerosis progression [80]. Omega-6 has an anti-inflammatory effect by regulating PGE2 production from macrophages which inhibits TNF-α synthesis [7] and lipoxins formation [9]. Likewise, two studies found that PPARα expression in pretreated cultured human endothelial cells and human aortic smooth-muscle cells were significantly expressing the
Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that a diet high in vegetables and fruits is associated with reduced risk of most cancers [1,2]. Since ancient times, herbs and spices have been used for the treatment of various illnesses. They have been used to treat respiratory, gastrointestinal, rheumatic and inflammatory disorders. The beneficial effects of dietary phytochemicals such as curcumin (from turmeric), allicin (from garlic), and resveratrol (from grapes and peanuts) against inflammation and cancer only reinforce the importance of diet in controlling such chronic illnesses [3]. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) is a spice, which is widely used in Asia and in the Middle East and has been used in traditional medicine to treat diarrhea, flatulence, and indigestion. An important use of cumin in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine is to control inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis [4]. In this context, it is noteworthy that cumin extracts inhibit platelet aggregation by inhibiting the eicosanoid pathway of inflammatory mediator generation [5]. In an attempt to understand the spice’s biological properties, cumin was also shown to reverse chemically induced colon carcinogenesis in experimental animals [6,7]. The observed anti-carcinogenic activity appears to be due to the induction of both phase I and II detoxifying enzymes as well as inhibition of enzymes responsible for the reactivation of detoxified carcinogens [8]. Considering that tumorigenesis is a multistep process initiated and promoted by several factors including carcinogen activation and chronic inflammation, cumin fruits offer a potential source of anticancer compounds. While extensive chromatographic separation of the essential oils derived from cumin fruit was attempted...
Modern society always has the problem with cholesterol. How can they deal with high cholesterol? It’s simple. Cayenne Herbal Supplements offer both health benefits, especially for the heart. Its nutrients are quite proficiency. Cayenne becomes a very useful herb and helpful medicinal herb too. It contains high nutrient such as Vitamin C, A, and B complexes. This herbal medicine also contains potassium and calcium. For the human heart, the calcium is very beneficial.
The study suggests that Echinacea supplementation especially a week before cyproterone acetate shows improvement in the oxidative stress induced by cyproterone acetate treatment. That may be due to the Echinacea antioxidant activity. The anti-androgenic effect of E may in addition to the anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing activity add valuable for using it as a co-treatment for male contraceptives or in treatment of prostate cancer which needs more investigations.
Objective: The objective of this paper is to identify the molecular structure of chemical constituents of commonly used botanicals and to investigate the relationship of botanical supplements to liver toxicity.
The ischemic heart disease (IHD), also known as coronary heart disease (CHD), occurs when the supply of the blood to the heart is interrupted due to the blockage of the coronary artery (Cooley, 2014). CHD is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2015) but what happens exactly in the IHD’s disease process? Anwar Jasib Thaaban (2015) stated that the inflammation and the oxidative stress might contribute to the pathology of the IHD. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an overproduction of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), which impairs the anti-oxidant defense system (Anwar Jasib Thaaban, 2015). It is fascinating to know how the IHD and polyphenols are interrelated. Polyphenols that
"Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol." 14 June 2011. American Heart Association. Web. 11 Aug. 2011.
Coconut oil is beneficial to protecting from heart disease and has been shown helps to increase HDL ‘the good cholesterol’ in the body.