• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.152-161
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• 2005

The excessive release of proinflammatory products by activated microglia causes neurotoxicity, and this has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Harpagophytum procumbens (Pedaliaceae) has been widely used for the treatment of pain and arthritis in the clinical field. In this study, we investigated the effect of Harpagophytum procumbens against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation. From the present results, the aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens was shown to suppress prostaglandin-E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production by inhibiting the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated enhancement of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expressions in mouse BV2 microglial cells. These results suggest that Harpagophytum procumbens may offer a valuable means of therapy for the treatment of brain inflammatory diseases by attenuating lipopolysaccharide-induced prostaglandin-E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.17-29
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• 2003

목적:천수근은 염증성 관절염과 염증성 장 질환 등에 사용되어왔다. 천수근이 중심회백질 신경세포에서 하행성 진통작용에 미치는 영향을 연구하였다. 방법: 중심회백질 신경세포를 분리하여 전위고정하에서 nystatin-perforated patch-clamp technique을 시행하였다. 결과: 천수근에 의하여 유발되는 이온전류는 GABA, glycine, 그리고 glutamate 수용체를 모두 활성화시켰다.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2015

Objectives To investigate and validate potential standard compounds for standardization of Sinbaro3 pharmacopuncture prepared at OO Hospital of Korean Medicine. Methods Sinbaro3 pharmacopuncture was prepared by extraction, purification and hydrolysis of Harpagophytum procumbens, and various potential standard compounds were quantified through HPLC-UV and HPLC-MS analysis. Validation was examined by assessing specificity, linearity, precision, and accuracy. Results The retention time of harpagide and cinnamic acid were 15.2 min and 28.2 min, respectively, and both showed good linearity in analysis by concentration at 0.9999 and 0.9998, respectively. Intra-day variation of precision was 0.0015~0.0045% and 0.0058~0.1629%, while inter-day variation of precision was 0.0011~0.0243% and 0.0098~0.1629%, and that of accuracy was 99.53~99.89% and 99.50~99.91%, respectively. Conclusions Harpagide and cinnamic acid, which are hydrolyzates of harpagoside within Sinbaro3 pharmacopuncture, were both validated using HPLC-MS and HPLC-UV analysis, and Sinbaro3 pharmacopuncture contained 78.41 ug/ml harpagide, and 2.05 ug/ml cinnamic acid.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.642-650
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• 2006

As an effective non-pharmacological method of pain relief, hydrotherapy was widely used. And bath additive has been used for enhancing the efficacy of hydrotherapy, In the present study, as a bath additive, the analgesic activity of HAC, which composed of Corydalis turtschaninovii, Atractylodes japonica, and Harpagophytum procumbens(HAC), was investigated in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VIPAG), lateral PAG (IPAG), central nuclei of amygdala (CeA), and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in mice, using writhing test and immunohistochemistry for c-Fos. Male C57BU6 mice weighing $25{\;}{\pm}{\;}2g$ (8 weeks of age) were used for this experiment. The animals were divided into five groups: the control group, the acetic acid treatment group, the acetic acid treatment and 0.01 g/L HAC-immersed group, the acetic acid treatment and 0.1 g/L HAC-immersed group, and the acetic acid treatment and 1.0 g/L HAC-immersed group. To induce somato-visceral pain in the experimental animals, a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of acetic acid was administrated to each animal, and the animals of the control group received injections of equivalent doses of normal saline. The animals of the HAC-immersed groups were immersed the water with HAC powder at the respective doses deep enough to cover the mice body, and those of the control group and the acetic acid treatment group immersed the water without HAC powder at 10 min immediately after the acetic acid injection. Our present study has shown that the HAC reduced the acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions and the acetic acid-Induced increase of numbers of c-Fos-positive cells in the VIPAG, IPAG, PVN, and CeA. The most potent analgesic effect appeared with the treatment of 1.0 g/L KB-immersed group. Based on our present results, it is very possible that HAC can be a potent therapeutic bath additive for alleviating pain without the fear of addiction to the drugs and side-effects associated with the prescription of multiple analgesic drugs.

• CELLMED
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1.1-1.9
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• 2016

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading medical condition for which patients use alternative treatments including the natural remedies. The aim of this review is to describe the dietary supplements and herbal remedies most commonly used in patients with osteoarthritis with an emphasis on the efficacy and safety of these natural remedies. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, two of the molecular building blocks found in articular cartilage, are the most commonly used remedies in OA treatment. Most clinical researches suggest that glucosamine and chondroitin show efficacy in reducing or improving symptoms and their ability to arrest progression of the disease or regenerate damaged cartilage. Patented formulations of both remedies are recommended by several therapeutic guidelines for use as first line background OA treatment. Reliable evidence that the combination is more effective than either agent alone is however still lacking. Several other herbs or remedies are promoted for treating osteoarthritis such as S-adenosylmethionine, methylsulfonylmethane, Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw), Curcuma longa (turmeric), Zingiber officinale (ginger), and capsaicin but there is no reliable evidence on long-term efficacy or safety. The clinical usefulness of these remedies is therefore rather limited currently.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2015

Objectives To assess the safety of Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture by analyzing the potential single-dose intramuscular toxicity of Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture at various dose levels in SD (Spraque-Dawley) rats and Beagle dogs. Methods For evaluation of single-dose intramuscular toxicity of Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture, 40 SD rats (20 male and 20 famale) and 4 Beagle dogs (2 male and 2 female) were used. The rats were divided in four groups of 10 each, and treated intramuscularly with Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture at doses of 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 mg/kg in distilled water, and distilled water as a vehicle control group, respectively. The Beagle dogs were divided into two groups of 2 each, and treated intramuscularly with Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture at doses of 0.15, and 0.3 mg/kg in distilled water, respectively, and signs of toxicity were observed. After a wash-out period of 3 days, the procedure was repeated with Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture at doses of 0.6, and 1.2 mg/kg in distilled water, respectively. Mortality, body weight changes, and necropsy findings were examined during the study period. Results There were no mortalities in either the SD rats or Beagle dogs. There were also no significant differences in adverse effects, body weight, or necropsy findings between the Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture and control groups. Conclusions There results suggest that the lethal dose 50 ($LD_{50}$) and approximate lethal dose (ALD) value of the test substance Shinbaro3 Pharmacopuncture are higher than 1.2 mg/kg in SD rats and Beagle dogs.