Lemaire I, Assinewe V, Cano P, Awang D V, Arnason J T
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ont., Canada.
J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Feb;64(2):109-15. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(98)00113-5.
Two extracts of different collections of the traditional medicine uña de gato (Uncaria tomentosa) from Peru were characterized by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography as containing approximately 6 mg/g total oxindole content prior to studies with alveolar macrophages. The plant preparations greatly stimulated IL-1 and IL-6 production by rat macrophages in a dose dependent manner in the range of 0.025-0.1 mg/ml. They were also able to enhance IL-1 and -6 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. The results suggest a strong immunostimulant action of this plant.
