Gilca Marilena, Barbulescu Alina
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry - Functional Sciences I, Bdul Eroilor Sanitari nr 8, sector 5, 050471 Bucharest, Romania.
Technical University of Civil Engineering, Doctoral School, 122-124 Lacul Tei Blvd., 020396, Bucharest, Romania; Ovidius University of Constanta, Bd. Mamaia, nr 124, Romania.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Nov 4;174:464-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.040. Epub 2015 Aug 28.
Taste (rasa) is traditionally valued in Ayurveda as an important ethnopharmacological category, and reported to correlate with certain therapeutic activities (karman). The present paper endeavors to provide for the first time a type of mapping of ayurvedic ethnopharmacological space by the integration of medicinal plant taste-activity relationship (TA) data, originating from several traditional sources.
The present TA database included 183 ayurvedic medicinal plants, with their traditional description of taste and ethnophamacological actions (EPA). 111 plants had a unique taste, and 72 plants a combination of several tastes, consisting of one principal taste, and other 2-4 secondary tastes. 121 ethnopharmacological actions were considered. Potential global or individual associations between rasa and karman were statistically analyzed.
We found a statistically significant global correspondence between the predominant plant taste and the ethnopharmacological activities (Chi-square test, p<0.05), and the following individual associations (Fisher exact test, p<0.05, positive association if lnOR >0, negative association if lnOR <0): bitter- 11 positive associations (lnOR 0.940 to 3.544) and 8 negative associations (lnOR -0.997 to -3.101), sweet- 14 positive associations (lnOR 0.839 to 3.132) and 20 negative associations (lnOR -0.962 to -3.270), pungent- 23 positive associations (lnOR 0.835 to 4.126) and 11 negative associations (lnOR -1.255 to -3.147), astringent- 7 positive associations (lnOR 1.099 to 3.813) and 7 negative associations (lnOR -1.076 to -2.631), sour- 7 positive associations (lnOR 1.128 to 4.664) and 1 negative association (lnOR -2.244). Among the 109 statistically significant associations, 24 were not traditionally mentioned, and only 4 were in opposition with the traditional ayurvedic sources.
The present study confirms the traditional relationship rasa-karman and demonstrates that statistical models can be used to predict EPAs of medicinal plants depending on their taste. Integration of the ayurvedic concept of taste into ethnopharmacological research might reveal new facets of plant therapeutic potentials and provide a framework for developing a probabilistic approach to drug discovery that can be exploited to increase bioprospecting research efficacy.
在阿育吠陀医学中，味道（rasa）传统上被视为一个重要的民族药理学范畴，并据报道与某些治疗作用（karman）相关。本文首次尝试通过整合来自多个传统来源的药用植物味道 - 活性关系（TA）数据，对阿育吠陀民族药理学领域进行一种映射。
当前的TA数据库包含183种阿育吠陀药用植物，以及它们味道和民族药理学作用（EPA）的传统描述。111种植物有一种独特的味道，72种植物有几种味道的组合，包括一种主要味道和其他2 - 4种次要味道。考虑了121种民族药理学作用。对rasa和karman之间潜在的总体或个体关联进行了统计分析。
我们发现主要植物味道与民族药理学活性之间存在统计学上显著的总体对应关系（卡方检验，p < 0.05），以及以下个体关联（Fisher精确检验，p < 0.05，若lnOR > 0为正相关，若lnOR < 0为负相关）：苦味 - 11个正相关（lnOR 0.940至3.544）和8个负相关（lnOR -0.997至 -3.101），甜味 - 14个正相关（lnOR 0.839至3.132）和20个负相关（lnOR -0.962至 -3.270），辛辣味 - 23个正相关（lnOR 0.835至4.126）和11个负相关（lnOR -1.255至 -3.147），涩味 - 7个正相关（lnOR 1.099至3.813）和7个负相关（lnOR -1.076至 -2.631），酸味 - 7个正相关（lnOR 1.128至4.664）和1个负相关（lnOR -2.244）。在109个统计学上显著的关联中，24个在传统上未被提及，只有4个与传统阿育吠陀来源相反。
本研究证实了传统的rasa - karman关系，并表明统计模型可用于根据药用植物的味道预测其EPA。将阿育吠陀味道概念整合到民族药理学研究中可能会揭示植物治疗潜力的新方面，并为开发一种概率性药物发现方法提供框架，可用于提高生物勘探研究的功效。
