Title : Agrimonia eupatoria L. and Cynara cardunculus L. Water Infusions: anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, and wound healing activity
Abstract:
Artichokes as an important part of the Mediterranean diet have a positive impact on human health. Traditional applications of C. cardunculus consider the usage of the blanched leaves, fleshy leaf petioles and the receptacle in soups, stews, and salads. Cardoon leaves are used for their cholagogue actions, for treatment of dyspepsia, and as antidiabetics. Agrimonia eupatoria L. is an herb of the Rosaceae family, widely used in traditional medicine for its beneficial effects. Herbal medicines containing agrimony are usually available as herbal teas to be drunk, or as gargles. They are also available as liquids to be applied to the skin or used as a bath additive.
Both, A. eupatoria and C. cardunculus extracts contain nearly 8% of total polyphenols and are able to protect cells and tissues against oxidative damage acting both as radical scavengers as well as by increasing the antioxidant activity. In vitro results demonstrate that AE extract showed more efficient antioxidant activity than the CC extract. This extract was selected for the animal study of wound healing. The mean vital area of a skin flap in the control group was 48.7% ± 9.4%, whereas the AE-treated rats had increased flap viability to 58.1% ± 7.7% (p < 0.05). To evaluate the potential anti-diabetic activity of the plants the inhibitory effect of α-glucosidase and serum glucose levels were determined. To complete the panel of experiments inhibition of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), the activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), reactivity of aortas, and measurement of body weight were employed to assess the plants protective properties against the development of DVC. The antimicrobial activity of CC extract was estimated using a microdilution technique against food-borne, mycotoxin producers and human pathogenic bacteria, and micromycetes. In biological assays, C. cardunculus extracts showed antimicrobial activity comparable with standard antibiotics.
The obtained results indicated that both AE and CC extracts are able to protect cells and tissues against oxidative damage. The in vivo study on AE extract demonstrated the capacity to also act on damaged skin, suggesting potential positive activity in wound repair. Nevertheless, the optimal treatment protocol for use in humans remains to be found in further clinical studies.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising fastest among developing countries but the rising incidence is in Europe also, Slovak Republic including.
- Herbal extracts or their constituents are promising agents potentially alleviating these complications. Hence, there is a pressing need for the scientific characterization of the numerous anti-diabetic medicinal plants described in traditional ethnomedical systems worldwide
- There is an opportunity for cooperation between faculties and research groups in different fields: activity-guided separation of secondary metabolites from the plants, activity evaluation, development of the method for a quantitative determination of secondary metabolites in extracts, standardization of extracts, etc.
