The 3rd Petasites gathering took place in Romanshorn, Switzerland on March 29, 1996 and gave 16 E... more The 3rd Petasites gathering took place in Romanshorn, Switzerland on March 29, 1996 and gave 16 European scientists the opportunity to transmit their latest considerable discoveries to interested researchers working in different scientific disciplines such as pharmacognosy, botany, chemistry, pharmacology, medicine or clinical pharmacy. The newest findings on Petasites hybridus as a significant plant drug showed very promising aspects of therapeutic utility. Great progress has been made in chemical analytical methods and the determination of pharmacological activities. Substantial advances have also occurred in the production of bioassay procedures and plant materials, particularly utilizing cell- and tissue-culture techniques.
The current Ph. Eur. monographs for senna pods, senna leaf and senna leaf dry extract standardise... more The current Ph. Eur. monographs for senna pods, senna leaf and senna leaf dry extract standardised describe a photometric assay based on the Bornträger reaction to determine hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as sennoside B. The method is timeconsuming, unspecific for sennosides and the precision is not adequate for a modern assay. The photometric method shall therefore be replaced by a modern HPLC method. About 70 % of the total anthrachinone content in herbal drugs of senna species is due to sennoside A and sennoside B. These substances are therefore suitable for the standardisation of Senna products. The Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) already describes an HPLC method to determine sennoside A and sennoside B in the monograph for senna leaf. It uses ion-pair chromatography with tetraheptylammoniumbromide. The procedure described in the monograph has a runtime of 70 min. The adapted and validated method described here uses solid-phase extraction (SPE) which allows a selective sam...
BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Jan 28, 2014
Valerian is commonly used for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Valerian extracts allosteric... more Valerian is commonly used for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Valerian extracts allosterically modulate GABA-A receptors and induced an anxiolytic activity. This activity is closely related to valerenic acid. In the present experiments it was investigated whether acetoxy valerenic acid may interfere with the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid. Situational anxiety was measured using male CD-1 mice in the elevated plus maze test after oral administration of the test substances. In addition the body core temperature was measured. For the 3H-GABA binding assay dissected tissue from frontal cortex of male RjHan:WI rats were used. Statistical evaluation was performed by means of the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallies H-test, followed by the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test. Adding of acetoxy valerenic acid abolished the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid. There was no effect on body core temperature. Moreover, the valerian extract did not show any affinity to benzodiazepine binding sit...
In the present study, robust and validated HPLC and UHPLC methods for the quantitative determinat... more In the present study, robust and validated HPLC and UHPLC methods for the quantitative determination of frangulins A and B (3 and 4) and glucofrangulins A and B (1 and 2) in the bark of Frangula alnus have been developed. The HPLC method allowed the separation of the analytes in 25 min and the UHPLC method in just 13 min. The HPLC method used an MN Nucleodur C18 125 × 4 mm column with 3 μm particles, while the UHPLC method used a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 100 × 2.1 mm column with 1.7 μm particles. Mobile phase A consisted of water and 1.25 mL/L phosphoric acid (85%), while mobile phase B consisted of CH3CN/MeOH (20:80). The flow rates were set to 1 mL/min for the HPLC method and 0.4 mL/min for the UHPLC method, with the column temperature held at 50 °C and the detection wavelength being 435 nm for either method. A fractional factorial design was used to check the robustness of the methods. The resolution of the analytes was never less than 1.5 when the factors were varied in the tested range. The conditions for ultrasonic extraction were optimized by response surface methodology and found to be 68% CH3CN in the extraction solvent, 35 °C extraction temperature, and a duration of 25 min. The extraction procedure was determined to be very robust against small deviations of these factors.
The enzymatic catalysis of the decomposition of Salicaceae phenolic glucosides was tested using a... more The enzymatic catalysis of the decomposition of Salicaceae phenolic glucosides was tested using almond beta-glucosidase and rabbit and porcine liver esterases. The beta-glucosidase catalyzed the complete hydrolysis of salicin and salicortin, yielding saligenin and glucose. Salicortin also produced (+)-6-hydroxycyclohexen-2-one (6-HCH). The acylglucosides were not decomposed by the beta-glucosidase. Both esterases catalyzed the decomposition of tremulacin, salicortin, and 2'-O-acetylsalicortin, releasing tremuloidin, salicin, and 2'-O-acetylsalicin as the main products, accompanied by 6-HCH and catechol. Tremuloidin and 2'-O-acetylsalicin were quite stable under the esterase hydrolysis, and salicin was not decomposed at all.
Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, Jan 3, 2017
Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatme... more Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatment options for livestock. Aims of our study were (a) to compare the ethnoveterinary practices of two culturally and sociodemographically different regions of Switzerland, (b) to compare results with earlier ethnoveterinary studies conducted in Switzerland and in adjacent Italian regions and, (c) to evaluate possible reasons for regional differences in European ethnoveterinary medicine. 25 interviews were conducted in 2014 in all Italian speaking regions (ItR) of Switzerland, and 31 interviews were held in five north-western German speaking Cantons (GeC). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect detailed information regarding plant species, mode of preparation, dosage, route of administration, category of use, origin of knowledge, frequency of use, and satisfaction with outcomes of the treatments. A total of 162 homemade remedies in ItR and 219 in GeC were reported, out of whic...
The 3rd Petasites gathering took place in Romanshorn, Switzerland on March 29, 1996 and gave 16 E... more The 3rd Petasites gathering took place in Romanshorn, Switzerland on March 29, 1996 and gave 16 European scientists the opportunity to transmit their latest considerable discoveries to interested researchers working in different scientific disciplines such as pharmacognosy, botany, chemistry, pharmacology, medicine or clinical pharmacy. The newest findings on Petasites hybridus as a significant plant drug showed very promising aspects of therapeutic utility. Great progress has been made in chemical analytical methods and the determination of pharmacological activities. Substantial advances have also occurred in the production of bioassay procedures and plant materials, particularly utilizing cell- and tissue-culture techniques.
The current Ph. Eur. monographs for senna pods, senna leaf and senna leaf dry extract standardise... more The current Ph. Eur. monographs for senna pods, senna leaf and senna leaf dry extract standardised describe a photometric assay based on the Bornträger reaction to determine hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as sennoside B. The method is timeconsuming, unspecific for sennosides and the precision is not adequate for a modern assay. The photometric method shall therefore be replaced by a modern HPLC method. About 70 % of the total anthrachinone content in herbal drugs of senna species is due to sennoside A and sennoside B. These substances are therefore suitable for the standardisation of Senna products. The Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) already describes an HPLC method to determine sennoside A and sennoside B in the monograph for senna leaf. It uses ion-pair chromatography with tetraheptylammoniumbromide. The procedure described in the monograph has a runtime of 70 min. The adapted and validated method described here uses solid-phase extraction (SPE) which allows a selective sam...
BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Jan 28, 2014
Valerian is commonly used for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Valerian extracts allosteric... more Valerian is commonly used for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Valerian extracts allosterically modulate GABA-A receptors and induced an anxiolytic activity. This activity is closely related to valerenic acid. In the present experiments it was investigated whether acetoxy valerenic acid may interfere with the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid. Situational anxiety was measured using male CD-1 mice in the elevated plus maze test after oral administration of the test substances. In addition the body core temperature was measured. For the 3H-GABA binding assay dissected tissue from frontal cortex of male RjHan:WI rats were used. Statistical evaluation was performed by means of the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallies H-test, followed by the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test. Adding of acetoxy valerenic acid abolished the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid. There was no effect on body core temperature. Moreover, the valerian extract did not show any affinity to benzodiazepine binding sit...
In the present study, robust and validated HPLC and UHPLC methods for the quantitative determinat... more In the present study, robust and validated HPLC and UHPLC methods for the quantitative determination of frangulins A and B (3 and 4) and glucofrangulins A and B (1 and 2) in the bark of Frangula alnus have been developed. The HPLC method allowed the separation of the analytes in 25 min and the UHPLC method in just 13 min. The HPLC method used an MN Nucleodur C18 125 × 4 mm column with 3 μm particles, while the UHPLC method used a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 100 × 2.1 mm column with 1.7 μm particles. Mobile phase A consisted of water and 1.25 mL/L phosphoric acid (85%), while mobile phase B consisted of CH3CN/MeOH (20:80). The flow rates were set to 1 mL/min for the HPLC method and 0.4 mL/min for the UHPLC method, with the column temperature held at 50 °C and the detection wavelength being 435 nm for either method. A fractional factorial design was used to check the robustness of the methods. The resolution of the analytes was never less than 1.5 when the factors were varied in the tested range. The conditions for ultrasonic extraction were optimized by response surface methodology and found to be 68% CH3CN in the extraction solvent, 35 °C extraction temperature, and a duration of 25 min. The extraction procedure was determined to be very robust against small deviations of these factors.
The enzymatic catalysis of the decomposition of Salicaceae phenolic glucosides was tested using a... more The enzymatic catalysis of the decomposition of Salicaceae phenolic glucosides was tested using almond beta-glucosidase and rabbit and porcine liver esterases. The beta-glucosidase catalyzed the complete hydrolysis of salicin and salicortin, yielding saligenin and glucose. Salicortin also produced (+)-6-hydroxycyclohexen-2-one (6-HCH). The acylglucosides were not decomposed by the beta-glucosidase. Both esterases catalyzed the decomposition of tremulacin, salicortin, and 2'-O-acetylsalicortin, releasing tremuloidin, salicin, and 2'-O-acetylsalicin as the main products, accompanied by 6-HCH and catechol. Tremuloidin and 2'-O-acetylsalicin were quite stable under the esterase hydrolysis, and salicin was not decomposed at all.
Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, Jan 3, 2017
Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatme... more Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatment options for livestock. Aims of our study were (a) to compare the ethnoveterinary practices of two culturally and sociodemographically different regions of Switzerland, (b) to compare results with earlier ethnoveterinary studies conducted in Switzerland and in adjacent Italian regions and, (c) to evaluate possible reasons for regional differences in European ethnoveterinary medicine. 25 interviews were conducted in 2014 in all Italian speaking regions (ItR) of Switzerland, and 31 interviews were held in five north-western German speaking Cantons (GeC). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect detailed information regarding plant species, mode of preparation, dosage, route of administration, category of use, origin of knowledge, frequency of use, and satisfaction with outcomes of the treatments. A total of 162 homemade remedies in ItR and 219 in GeC were reported, out of whic...
The use of medicinal plants and other natural multicomponent remedies might be one measure to red... more The use of medicinal plants and other natural multicomponent remedies might be one measure to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock. Ethnoveterinary research has the potential to identify promising natural remedies. The knowledge about remedies for livestock was collected from farmers in six central Swiss cantons, Glarus, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Zug and Uri. Between February and April 2013 49 interviews with 63 farmers (25 females and 38 males, aged 24– 74) were conducted. We collected information on the manufacturing of 370 homemade remedies. Of these, 114 contained no plants, 26 contained a mixture of two to five plants, and 230 contained one plant species (defined as homemade single-herbal remedy report (HSHR)). These 230 HSHRs represented 68 plant species belonging to 35 different botanical families. Thirteen species were reported for the first time for ethnoveterinary use in Switzerland. Matricaria recutita, Calendula officinalis, Urtica dioica and Coffea were the most frequently used ingredients of HSHR. A total of 278 use reports (UR) were described for the 230 HSHR, (233 UR for treating cattle). Treatment of skin disorders (QD), gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic dysfunction (QA) were the most frequently mentioned uses for these remedies. Fewer uses were linked to treatments of the respiratory system (QR), the genito-urinary (QG) and musculo-skeletal systems (QM). In the categorie QA the most UR were described for Matricaria recutita, Linum usitatissimum, and Camellia sinensis. Quercus robur was mainly used to treat diarrhoea in calfs, Coffea Arabica to treat general gastrointestinal troubles, colic, abdominal pain or diarrhoea, and Arthemisia absinthium to treat general gastro-intestinal disorders, diarrhoea or lack of appetite. For four orally administered plant species (Artemisia absinthium, Avena sativa, Citrus x limon, Quercus robur) daily oral doses were determined for the first time (median: 0.03, 6.16, 0.01 and 0.58 g dry plant equivalent per kg 0.75). In the category QD the most often described plant species were Calendula officinalis, Matricaria recutita, Picea abies, Sanicula europaea and Senecio ovatus. For the latter two plant species we determined for the first time an ethnoveterinary based concentration in the finished product (median: 0.13 and 0.39 g dry plant equivalent per 100 g finished product). Medicinal plants are known, and used by farmers of central Switzerland mostly for treatment of skin and gastrointestinal diseases. According to recent pharmaceutical and human clinical research several plant species documented in this ethnoveterinary study are worth to be further investigated in clinical trials with livestock.
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