Anti-Inflammatory Agents from Plants: Progress and Potential

Abstract

The identification of substances that can promote the resolution of inflammation in a way that is homeostatic, modulatory, efficient, and well-tolerated by the body is of fundamental importance. Traditional medicines have long provided front-line pharmacotherapy for many millions of people worldwide. Medicinal extracts are a rich source of therapeutic leads for the pharmaceutical industry. The use of medicinal plant therapies to treat chronic illness, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is thus widespread and on the rise.The aim of this review is to present recent progress in clinical anti-inflammatory studies of plant extracts and compound leads such as green tea polyphenols, curcumin, resveratrol, boswellic acid, and cucurbitacins, among others, against chronic inflammatory diseases, mainly RA and IBD. In this context, the present paper also highlights the most promising experimental data on those plant extracts and pure compounds active in animal models of the aforementioned diseases.

Plants and their active compounds: natural molecules to target angiogenesis

“…Plant products have been used in traditional medicine for many years, and their anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-infective properties are well-established [11–13]. Recent reports have indicated that these natural compounds also have angiogenesis-modulating effects [14–16].…”

Protective effects of resveratrol on autologous nucleus pulposus model of radiculopathy

“…Recently, resveratrol has gained considerable attention due to its anticancer (38), cardiovascular protective (39) and anti-inflammatory effects (40). A previous study has shown that resveratrol can effectively reduce mRNA levels of major proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8), TLR2, and matrix degrading enzymes (MMP1, MMP3 and MMP13) (41), which have previously been shown to be involved in disc degeneration and pain induction (42).…”

The Class III Histone Deacetylase Sirtuin 1 in Immune Suppression and Its Therapeutic Potential in Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Resveratrol (trans-3,4,5-trihydroxystillbene) is a polyphenol naturally found in various plant species (Recio et al, 2012). The use of resveratrol in treating various inflammatory diseases has been studied extensively due to its anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic properties (Elmali et al, 2007; Imler Jr and Petro, 2009; Sánchez-Fidalgo et al, 2010; Lee et al, 2011; Nakayama et al, 2012; Xuzhu et al, 2012).…”