Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Afe Babalola University, Ado - Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.
Cancer Biomark. 2018;22(2):257-265. doi: 10.3233/CBM-170893.
The Indian borage (Plectranthus amboinicus) also called Oregano contains many effective antioxidants, which includes caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid and flavonoids. It has been employed in traditional medicine for its several health benefits including the prevention and cure of many debilitating diseases. Anti-inflammatory properties of Plectranthus amboinicus grown within this environment have not been adequately explored.
The protective and therapeutic effects of Oregano against endotoxaemia and inflammation were evaluated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat models.
A total of 30 Wistar rats were randomly selected for this study and divided into six groups, with each group having 5 rats. Inflammation was induced on appropriate animal groups using LPS injection at a concentration of 4 mg/kg. Aqueous leaf extract of Indian borage was administered orally in four doses (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg post-LPS exposure and 150 mg/kg pre-LPS exposure) to respective treatment rat groups. Haematological profile, toxicity profile of liver and kidney and levels of biomarkers of inflammation were assayed using standard methods.
Rats injected with LPS showed severe anaemia and marked leucopoenia with significant decrease in monocytes compared to the control group (p< 0.05). There was increased expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (p< 0.05) in the peripheral circulation of rats exposed to LPS. Treatment with Indian borage significantly (p< 0.05) reduced the toxic effects in the LPS-treated animals and attenuated the increase in the expression of circulating proinflammatory cytokines; tumor necrosis factor alpha (TN-Fα) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) caused by LPS. Indian borage pretreatment also significantly (p< 0.05) counteracted the associated haematological dyscrasias caused by exposure to LPS. The extract elicited a significant protective effect on the kidney and liver as evidenced by the decreased renal markers and hepatic enzyme activities when compared with the control. The extract demonstrated protective and suppressive role against the overexpression of inflammatory mediators by ameliorating the induced inflammation and endotoxaemic conditions in the affected rat groups thereby validating its folkloric use.
Our study thus reveals that the extract might be an active, natural and non-toxic drug lead against endotoxaemia-induced inflammation and toxicity.
印度琉璃苣（Plectranthus amboinicus）也被称为牛至，含有许多有效的抗氧化剂，包括咖啡酸、迷迭香酸和类黄酮。它在传统医学中被用于多种健康益处，包括预防和治疗许多使人衰弱的疾病。然而，在这种环境中生长的琉璃苣的抗炎特性尚未得到充分探索。
本研究旨在使用脂多糖（LPS）诱导的大鼠模型评估牛至对内毒素血症和炎症的保护和治疗作用。
本研究共选用 30 只 Wistar 大鼠，随机分为 6 组，每组 5 只。通过向适当的动物组注射浓度为 4mg/kg 的 LPS 诱导炎症。印度琉璃苣的水提叶提取物以四种剂量（LPS 暴露后 100mg/kg、200mg/kg、400mg/kg 和 LPS 暴露前 150mg/kg）口服给予相应的治疗大鼠组。使用标准方法测定血液学特征、肝肾功能毒性谱和炎症生物标志物水平。
与对照组相比，注射 LPS 的大鼠表现出严重的贫血和明显的白细胞减少，单核细胞数量显著减少（p<0.05）。与对照组相比，LPS 暴露大鼠外周循环中白细胞介素-8（IL-8）和肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）的表达增加（p<0.05）。印度琉璃苣提取物显著（p<0.05）降低了 LPS 处理动物的毒性作用，并减轻了 LPS 引起的循环前炎症细胞因子；肿瘤坏死因子-α（TN-Fα）和白细胞介素-8（IL-8）的表达增加。印度琉璃苣预处理也显著（p<0.05）对抗了 LPS 暴露引起的相关血液学紊乱。与对照组相比，提取物对肾脏和肝脏具有显著的保护作用，降低了肾脏标志物和肝酶活性。该提取物通过改善受影响大鼠组的炎症和内毒素血症状况，对内毒素血症诱导的炎症和毒性表现出保护和抑制作用，从而验证了其民间用途。
因此，我们的研究表明，该提取物可能是一种有效的、天然的、无毒的内毒素血症诱导炎症和毒性的药物先导。
