Search

Herbal medication used in the treatment of sleep disorders and anxiety often contain extracts of Valeriana officinalis or Passiflora incarnata. Valerenic acid in V. officinalis and apigenin, orientin, and vitexin in P. incarnata are thought to contribute to their therapeutic effect. It was the aim of this study to test whether these constituents of herbal extracts are interacting with the uptake of estrone 3-sulfate, pregnenolone sulfate, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate mediated by the uptake transporters organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1) or organic anion transporting polypeptide 1A2 (OATP1A2). Madin-Darby canine kidney cells overexpressing OATP2B1 or OATP1A2 were used to determine the influence of the constituents on the cellular accumulation of the sulfated steroids. Subsequently, competitive counterflow experiments were applied to test whether identified inhibitors are also substrates of the transporters. Valerenic acid only interacted with OATP2B1, whereas apigenin, orientin, and vitexin interacted with OATP2B1 and OATP1A2. Competitive counterflow revealed that orientin is a substrate of both transporters, while apigenin was transported by OATP1A2 and vitexin by OATP2B1. In a next step, commercially available P. incarnata preparations were assessed for their influence on the transporters, revealing inhibition of transporter-mediated estrone 3-sulfate uptake. HPLC-UV-MS analysis confirmed the presence of orientin and vitexin in these preparations, thereby suggesting that these constituents are involved in the interaction. Our data indicate that constituents of P. incarnata may alter the function of OATP2B1 and OATP1A2, which could affect the uptake of other compounds relying on uptake mediated by the transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disorders are common among the general population and can generate health problems such as insomnia and anxiety. In addition to standard drugs and psychological interventions, there are different complementary plant-based therapies used to treat insomnia and anxiety. This review aimed to find and examine the most recent research on the use of herbal medicines for treating anxiety and insomnia as compiled from clinical trials, as well as to assess the safety and efficacy of these medicines and to elucidate their possible mechanisms of action. The process entailed a search of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases from 2010 to 2020. The search terms included "sleep disorder", "insomnia", "sedative", "hypnotic", "anxiety", "anxiolytic", and "clinical trial", combined with the search terms "herbs" and "medicinal plants", in addition to individual herbal medicines by both their common and scientific names. This updated review, which focuses mainly on clinical trials, includes research on 23 medicinal plants and their combinations. Essential oils and their associations have also been reviewed. The efficacy of medicinal plants depends on treatment duration, types of study subjects, administration route, and treatment method. More clinical trials with an adequate, standardized design are necessary, as are more preclinical studies to continue studying the mechanisms of action. As a result of our work, we can conclude that the 3 plants with the most potential are valerian, passionflower, and ashwagandha, with the combination of valerian with hops and passionflower giving the best results in the clinical tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disorders are common among the general population and can generate health problems such as insomnia and anxiety. In addition to standard drugs and psychological interventions, there are different complementary plant-based therapies used to treat insomnia and anxiety. This review aimed to find and examine the most recent research on the use of herbal medicines for treating anxiety and insomnia as compiled from clinical trials, as well as to assess the safety and efficacy of these medicines and to elucidate their possible mechanisms of action. The process entailed a search of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases from 2010 to 2020. The search terms included "sleep disorder", "insomnia", "sedative", "hypnotic", "anxiety", "anxiolytic", and "clinical trial", combined with the search terms "herbs" and "medicinal plants", in addition to individual herbal medicines by both their common and scientific names. This updated review, which focuses mainly on clinical trials, includes research on 23 medicinal plants and their combinations. Essential oils and their associations have also been reviewed. The efficacy of medicinal plants depends on treatment duration, types of study subjects, administration route, and treatment method. More clinical trials with an adequate, standardized design are necessary, as are more preclinical studies to continue studying the mechanisms of action. As a result of our work, we can conclude that the 3 plants with the most potential are valerian, passionflower, and ashwagandha, with the combination of valerian with hops and passionflower giving the best results in the clinical tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to assess the anxiolytic properties of a phytochemically characterized commercial extract from PASSIFLORA INCARNATA (PI; Passifloraceae) in the elevated plus maze test in mice. Using an HPLC method, the flavonoids homoorientin, orientin, vitexin, and isovitexin were identified as major compounds. Following oral administration, the extract exerted an anxiolytic effect that was comparable to diazepam (1.5?mg/kg) at a dose of 375?mg/kg and exhibited a U-shaped dose-response curve. In addition, antagonism studies using the GABA A/benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazenil and the 5-HT 1A-receptor antagonist WAY-100?635 were conducted. The active dose was effectively antagonized by flumazenil, but not by WAY-100?635. This study is the first demonstration of the IN VIVO, GABA-mediated anxiolytic activity of an HPLC- characterized extract of PASSIFLORA INCARNATA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) is a natural flavone commonly found in many plants including PASSIFLORA COERULEA L. Researchers have performed extensive and detailed investigations on the behavioral and pharmacological effects of chrysin IN VIVO, but there was little information available on the effect of chrysin on nociception. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of chrysin on the nociceptive threshold using the tail-immersion test. Intraperitoneal ( I.?P.) injection of chrysin (10, 25, 50, 75, 100?mg/kg) dose- and time-dependently induced a pronounced decrease of the tail withdrawal latencies (TWL), thus characterizing a hyperalgesic effect (ED 50?=?65.59?mg/kg). The following results showed that GABA Areceptors were involved in the hyperalgesic effects of chrysin. 1) The hyperalgesia induced by chrysin was significantly and dose-dependently blocked by pretreatment with flumazenil (0.75, 1?mg/kg, I.?P.), a specific antagonist for benzodiazepine sites associated with GABA Areceptors. 2) Bicuculline (2, 4?mg/kg, I.?P.), a GABA Areceptor antagonist, markedly antagonized the hyperalgesic effect of chrysin in a dose-dependent manner. 3) Picrotoxin (2?mg/kg, I.?P.), a chloride channel blocker, could also notably antagonize the hyperalgesia of chrysin. Oral administration of chrysin (75?mg/kg) also produced a hyperalgesic effect in the tail-immersion test. In addition, diazepam (1?mg/kg, I.?P.) showed a marked antinociceptive effect, which was completely blocked by flumazenil (1?mg/kg, I.?P.). In conclusion, it can be summarized that both I.?P. and oral administration of chrysin produced a significant hyperalgesic effect in the tail-immersion test and that the hyperalgesic effect of chrysin may be associated with GABA Areceptors. BDZ:benzodiazepine DMSO:dimethyl sulfoxide GABA:?-aminobutyric acid I.?P.:intraperitoneal NS:normal saline TWL:tail-withdrawal latency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fact that an Indian group had reported a benzoflavone moiety (BZF) as an active principle in the herb of PASSIFLORA INCARNATA L. (Passifloraceae), this study was performed to isolate the compound for analytical purposes. In Passiflorae herba from three different origins (cultivations in India, Italy and France) a compound with the published TLC characteristics was detected in trace amounts only in the Italian material. No traces of the substance were found in the drugs from India and France. In a commercial extract two compounds with the respective TLC characteristics were detected. One was identified as a phytol isomer. Due to the very small amounts of the second compound its structure elucidation was not successful. The amount of extract for the isolation corresponded to approximately the 10-fold amount of the drug, from which the isolation of 332?mg "BZF" had been reported. The detection of only trace amounts of a BZF-like compound in one of three commercial samples of Passiflorae herba and in an extract suggests for the first time that BZF is not the active principle in this drug and should not serve as an active marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]