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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Ocotea bullata (Lauraceae), one of the top-ten traditional medicinal plants used in KwaZulu-Natal, is close to extinction through high demand and destructive harvesting methods. The stem bark is traditionally used to cure headaches, urinary disorders and stomach problems. Substitution of leaves for bark provides a possible resource management solution for this threatened medicinal plant. One aim of this study was to compare the chemical composition of O. bullata leaves and bark using TLC, HPLC and GC-MS analysis. The characteristic analytical fingerprints of leaf and bark extracts showed great similarities. A second aim was to investigate the pharmacological properties of O. bullata as a remedy against headaches. Leaf and bark extracts were tested in terms of cyclooxygenase-1 and 5-lipoxygenase inhibition. Extracts from the bark exhibited moderate inhibitory activity in both test systems. Extracts from fresh leaves were superior to bark extracts in terms of their in vitro inhibitory activity against cyclooxygenase-1 and 5-lipoxygenase. Volatiles obtained from n-hexane extracts of leaves and bark showed better inhibitory activity towards cyclooxygenase-1 and especially towards 5-lipoxygenase than the original n-hexane extracts. Volatiles were therefore recognized as one of the main active principles in O. bullata with regards to the anti-inflammatory properties of this medicinal plant. This lends support to the traditional usage of O. bullata bark as an inhalant or snuff.
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PMID:Analytical and pharmacological investigation of Ocotea bullata (black stinkwood) bark and leaves. 1090 66

In response to the serious scarcity of Ocotea bullata (Burch.) Baillon (Lauraceae), an important medicinal plant in South Africa, Cryptocarya species (Lauraceae) are frequently used as substitute plants. Our investigation was aimed at a pharmacological comparison of O. bullata and the Cryptocarya species C. latifolia Sonder, C. myrtifolia Stapf., C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy, C. woodii Engl. and C. wyliei Stapf., in terms of in vitro cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition, as an indication of O. bullatas' repute as a remedy against headache. Furthermore, we also compared bark and leaf extracts of the species investigated in order to address the problem of destructive ring-barking. The utilization of leaves instead of bark would help in the management of threatened medicinal plants. All Cryptocarya species were superior to O. bullata with regard to bark extracts. C. woodii bark extracts showed outstanding equipotent activity towards COX-1 and COX-2. The activity of extracts of fresh leaves was comparable to the activity of the respective bark extracts. Drying the leaves before extraction resulted in a loss of activity, with the exception of C. wyliei. Extracts of dried C. wyliei leaves exhibited high inhibitory activity, with a COX-2/COX-1 ratio of 5.8.
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PMID:Cryptocarya species--substitute plants for Ocotea bullata? A pharmacological investigation in terms of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 inhibition. 1094 May 85

Tinospora smilacina Benth. has been used in Australian indigenous medicine for the treatment of headache, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. As part of an investigation into the anti-inflammatory potential of plants using an ethnopharmacological approach, the present study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tinospora smilacina. An ethanol extract of this plant was evaluated in vitro for anti-inflammatory activities on cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and phospholipase A(2) (PA(2)). The ethanol extract of Tinospora smilacina showed inhibitory activities on COX-1, COX-2, 5-LO and PA(2) with the IC(50) values of 63.5, 81.2, 92.1 and 30.5 micro g/mL respectively. Cytotoxic effect of the extracts of Tinospora smilacina was investigated in vitro using ATP-based luminescence assay and the results showed no cytotoxic effect on cell lines of skin fibroblasts (1BR3), human Caucasian hepatocyte carcinoma (Hep G2) and human Caucasian promyelocytic leukaemia (HL-60). This paper also describes the results of fractionations and bioassay guided chemical studies, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory activity is due to triterpene-fatty acid esters and free fatty acids.
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PMID:Anti-inflammatory activity, cytotoxicity and active compounds of Tinospora smilacina Benth. 1475 Feb 6

Armillariella mellea (AM), also known as Mi-Huan-Ku, a popular medicinal fungus used in the traditional Chinese medicine for treating headache, neurasthenia and insomnia. In the present study, our aim was to determine the effects of aqueous (AAM) and ethanol (EAM) extracts of A. mellea on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response by measuring the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1 and COX-2) protein expression, cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-4 and IL-8) formation, nitric oxide (NO) release and prostaglandin (PGE(2)) production in human monocytic (THP-1) cells. At concentration of 100 microg/ml, EAM, but not AAM, effectively protected against LPS-induced cell death in THP-1 cells. At concentrations of 10 approximately 100 microg/ml, EAM showed a potent anti-inflammatory activity as demonstrated by a dose-dependent inhibition of LPS (1 microg/ml)-induced release of NO and PGE(2), and significantly decreased the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines. EAM at 100 mug/ml significantly blocked the LPS induction of iNOS and COX-2 expression, but not COX-1. Therefore, the protective effect of EAM against LPS-induced inflammatory mediators release could explain, at least in part, its effectiveness in alleviating certain inflammatory related diseases.
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PMID:Armillariella mellea shows anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the expression of NO, iNOS, COX-2 and cytokines in THP-1 cells. 1759 9