€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****ANNALES PHARMACEUTIQUES FRANCAISES***** Lamaison JL Carnat A Petitjean-Freytet C [Tannin content and inhibiting activity of elastase in Rosaceae] Teneur en tanins et activite inhibitrice de l'elastase chez les Rosaceae. In: Ann Pharm Fr (1990) 48(6):335-40 ISSN: 0003-4509 (Published in French) From 42 Rosaceae species, only the Rosoideae species exhibit high tannin content and elastase inhibiting activity such as Filipendula ulmaria, Geum montanum, G. rivale, Alchemilla xanthochlora and Sanguisorba minor. Other studied species from Spiraeoideae, Maloideae and Prunoideae subfamilies are less rich in tannin and also less active. Registry Numbers: EC 3.4.21.36 (Pancreatopeptidase) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH***** Kurokawa M Nagasaka K Hirabayashi T Uyama S Sato H Kageyama T Kadota S Ohyama H Hozumi T Namba T et al Efficacy of traditional herbal medicines in combination with acyclovir against herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in vitro and in vivo. In: Antiviral Res (1995 May) 27(1-2):19-37 ISSN: 0166-3542 Traditional herbal medicines have been safely used for the treatment of various human diseases since ancient China. We selected 10 herbal extracts with therapeutic antiherpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) activity. Among these, Geum japonicum Thunb., Rhus javanica L., Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. et Perry, or Terminalia chebula Retzus showed a stronger anti-HSV-1 activity in combination with acyclovir than the other herbal extracts in vitro. When acyclovir and/or a herbal extract were orally administered at doses corresponding to human use, each of the 4 combinations significantly limited the development of skin lesions and/or prolonged the mean survival times of infected mice compared with both acyclovir and the herbal extract alone (P < 0.01 or 0.05). These combinations were not toxic to mice. They reduced virus yields in the brain and skin more strongly than acyclovir alone and exhibited stronger anti-HSV-1 activity in the brain than in the skin, in contrast to acyclovir treatment by itself. Combinations of acyclovir with historically used herbal medicines showed strong combined therapeutic anti-HSV-1 activity in mice, especially reduction of virus yield in the brain. Registry Numbers: 59277-89-3 (Acyclovir) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Yukawa TA Kurokawa M Sato H Yoshida Y Kageyama S Hasegawa T Namba T Imakita M Hozumi T Shiraki K Prophylactic treatment of cytomegalovirus infection with traditional herbs. In: Antiviral Res (1996 Oct) 32(2):63-70 ISSN: 0166-3542 Hot water extracts of four traditional herbs, Geum japonicum, Syzygium aromaticum, Terminalia chebula and Rhus javanica, which have been shown to have anti-herpes simplex virus (HSV) activity in vivo, were examined for anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) activity in vitro and in vivo in this study. They inhibited replication of human CMV and murine CMV (MCMV) in vitro. These anti-CMV activities in vivo were examined in an MCMV infection model using immunosuppressed mice. Mice were subcutaneously treated with various doses of cyclosporine, and immunosuppression and MCMV infection were monitored by suppression of antibody production and virus yield in the lung, respectively. Each herbal extract was orally administered to mice treated with 50 mg/kg of cyclosporine from a day before intraperitoneal infection, and the efficacy of herbs was evaluated by the reduction in the virus yield in the lung. Among them Geum japonicum, Syzygium aromaticum, and Terminalia chebula significantly suppressed MCMV yields in lungs of treated mice compared with water treatment. Efficacy of oral treatment with 750 mg/kg per day of Geum japonicum extract was similar to that of the intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg/kg per day of ganciclovir in increasing the body weight of infected mice and reducing the virus yield in the lungs. These herbs may be beneficial for the prophylaxis of CMV diseases in immunocompromised patients. Registry Numbers: 59865-13-3 (Cyclosporine) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIDS***** Kageyama S Kurokawa M Sato H Yukawa T Ohyama H Kurimura T Namba T Shiraki K Potent activity of the extract of Geum japonicum Thunb. For the prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus infection in AIDS patients. In: Int Conf AIDS (1996 Jul 7-12) 11(1):65 (abstract no. Mo.A.1061) OBJECTIVE: A traditional herbal medicine extracted from Geum japonicum Thunb. (GJ) with hot water, which had exhibited antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus in a mouse model, was also examined for its prophylactic efficacy against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in immunosuppressed mice. In the cell-culture system, GJ was assayed for its anti-HIV activity. Futhermore, a purified extract of GJ was also tested to inquire its anti-HIV activity by the inhibition of reverse-transcriptase (RT) activity. METHODS: Dried traditional herbal medicine, GJ, was boiled, filtered, lyophilized, and resuspended in distilled waster at the concentration of 20mg/ml. After an additional boiling, the extract was orally administered at 5mg/dose three times a day to female ICR mice treated with 50mg/kg of cyclosporine. Ganciclovir was also administered intraperitoneally. These mice were infected intraperitoneally with 1,000 PFU of murine CMV (MCMV) (Smith strain). Virus infection in the lung was assessed on day 16 after infection. MT-4 cells acutely infected with HIV-1LAI were used for the evaluation of activity of GJ against HIV infection. RT activity was assayed in the presence of the purified extract of GJ by the conventional assay system with poly(rA), p(dT12-18) as the template. RESULTS: GJ strongly suppressed the virus-yield in the lung of mouse at a conventional dose for human. Its anti-MCMV activity with the treatment 750mg/kg/day (p.o.) of GJ corresponds to that with 2mg/kg/day (i.p.) of ganciclovir. A purified extract of GJ shows the strong anti-HIV activity. GJ exhibited partial anti-HIV activity against HIV at 2 micrograms/ml in cell-culture system. RT-activity was reduced in the presence of this agent. The levels of inhibition of RT were 22, 60, 93% at 2, 20, 200 micromolar, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Strong anti-CMV activity assessed in mouse-model may be beneficial for the prophylaxis of retinitis caused by CMV infection in AIDS patients. GJ may also active against HIV infection. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY***** McCutcheon AR Ellis SM Hancock RE Towers GH Antifungal screening of medicinal plants of British Columbian native peoples. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1994 Dec) 44(3):157-69 ISSN: 0378-8741 One hundred methanolic plant extracts were screened for antifungal activity against 9 fungal species. Eighty-one were found to have some antifungal activity and 30 extracts showed activity against 4 or more of the fungi assayed. The extracts with the greatest fungal inhibition were prepared from Alnus rubra catkins, Artemisia ludoviciana aerial parts, Artemisia tridentata aerial parts, Geum macrophyllum roots, Mahonia aquifolium roots and Moneses uniflora aerial parts. In addition to these, extracts prepared from the following plants also exhibited antifungal activity against all 9 fungi: Asarum caudatum whole plant, Balsamorhiza sagittata roots, Empetrum nigrum branches, Fragaria chiloensis leaves, Gilia aggregata aerial parts and roots, Glehnia littoralis roots, Heracleum lanatum roots, Heuchera cylindrica roots and Rhus glabra branches. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Tunon H Olavsdotter C Bohlin L Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of some Swedish medicinal plants. Inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis and PAF-induced exocytosis. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1995 Oct) 48(2):61-76 ISSN: 0378-8741 Plants used in Swedish traditional medicine to treat inflammatory diseases and/or wounds were selected, based on literature data, for evaluation of inhibitory activity on prostaglandin biosynthesis and platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced exocytosis in vitro. Fifty- nine water extracts from 52 different plants in 28 families were tested. A number of plants, e.g. Calluna vulgaris, Corylus avellana, Geum urbanum, Juniperus communis, Polygonum aviculare, Potentilla erecta and Salix caprea were found to be active in both assays. The most potent cyclooxygenase inhibitors were extracts of Calluna vulgaris, Potentilla erecta and Salix caprea. None of the extracts inhibited just the prostaglandin biosynthesis. In the PAF-test, high inhibition was obtained by 19 extracts, the most potent of which were from Geum rivale, G. urbanum, Solanum dulcamara, Symphytum x uplandicum and Vaccinium vitis-idaea. The in vitro effects in relation to the traditional use, chemical contents and botanical classification, as well as the possibilities and the limitations of the methods are discussed. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS***** Xu HX Zeng FQ Wan M Sim KY Anti-HIV triterpene acids from Geum japonicum. In: J Nat Prod (1996 Jul) 59(7):643-5 ISSN: 0163-3864 The methanol extract from the whole plant of Geum japonicum was found to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) protease. Through bioassay-directed fractionation of the extract, a new triterpene acid along with five known triterpene acids, ursolic acid, epipomolic acid, maslinic acid, euscaphic acid, and tormentic acid, were isolated. The structure of the new compound was determined by spectral means including 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOE experiments to be 2 alpha, 19 alpha-dihydroxy-3-oxo-12-ursen-28-oic acid (1). Of these compounds, 1, ursolic acid, and maslinic acid showed potent inhibitory activity against HIV-1 protease. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€