urinary

[Advances in studies on pharmacokinetics of aristolochic acid I]: Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2006 Oct;31(19):1573-5 Authors: Wang G, Wang ZM, Sun QS

Aristolochic acid I (AA-I) was absorbed and distributed quickly in vivo, the plasma concentration-time curve were fit with the open two-compartment model and one-compartment model, respectively. The elimination of AA-I has relationship with the dosage, the low dose group eliminates more quickly than the high dose group. The characters of pharmacokinetics of AA-I induce the cumulation of AA-I in vivo and the nephrotoxin to the kidney and other viscera.

PMID: 17165576 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dose-response effect of Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) on benign prostatic hyperplasia induced by testosterone enanthate.: Phytomedicine. 2007 Aug;14(7-8):460-4 Authors: Gasco M, Villegas L, Yucra S, Rubio J, Gonzales GF

The main goal of this study was to determine the effect of a freeze-dried aqueous extract of the red variety of Lepidium meyenii (Red Maca) on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in adult rats of the Holtzman strain. Rats were treated with freeze-dried aqueous extract of Red Maca at doses of 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 g/kg body wt. A positive control group received Finasteride (0.6 mg/kg body wt.). After treatment, the animals were sacrificed, and the ventral prostate was extracted, and weighed. HPLC was used to determine the presence of glucosinolates in Red Maca. The prostate weight diminished in a dose-dependent fashion in rats treated with Red Maca. The effect of Red Maca was better than that observed with Finasteride. Finasteride, but not Red Maca, reduced seminal vesicles weight. Analysis of the HPLC indicated the presence of benzyl glucosinolate (Glucotropaeolin) with a content of 0.639%. Serum testosterone levels were not affected by Red Maca. Moreover, serum testosterone levels were not related to prostate or seminal vesicles weight in rats treated with vehicle and Red Maca. In conclusion, Red Maca administered orally in rats seems to exert an inhibitory effect at a level post DHT conversion, on the BPH-induced experimentally, although a direct measure of reductase action would still be required.

PMID: 17289361 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Prevention and alternative methods for prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in women]: Urologe A. 2006 Apr;45(4):443-4, 446-50 Authors: Vahlensieck W, Bauer H

General recommendations to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) result in about one-third of patients remaining free of recurrences. Oral and parenteral immunotherapy were effective in several controlled studies for prevention of rUTI. These therapies can be combined with acute antibiotic therapy. Vaginal prophylaxis with oestriol has proven its positive effect without serious gynaecological side effects. Also there is increasing evidence that cranberries prevent rUTI. The exact mode (juice, tablets or preserved berries), dosage and duration of this therapy remain to be defined. There are also promising therapy modalities such as changing bacterial gut flora, general immune response (acupuncture, inpatient rehabilitation) and urine acidity.

Antioxidant capacity of 55 medicinal herbs traditionally used to treat the urinary system: a comparison using a sequential three-solvent extraction process.: J Altern Complement Med. 2007 Jan;13(1):103-10 Authors: Wojcikowski K, Stevenson L, Leach D, Wohlmuth H, Gobe G

Background: The prevalence of chronic renal disease exceeds 10% in industrialized societies. Oxidative damage is thought to be one of the main mechanisms involved in nearly all chronic renal pathologies. Objective: We aimed to use the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method and a sequential multisolvent extraction process to compare the in vitro antioxidant capacity of 55 medicinal herbs and prioritize them for in vivo studies investigating the value of herbal therapies in the treatment of renal disorders. Methods: The herbs were chosen on the basis of their traditional use in kidney or urinary system disorders, or because they have attracted the attention of recent investigations into renal pathologies. The three solvents used for extraction were ethyl acetate, methanol, and 50% aqueous methanol. Silybum marianum (milk thistle) seed and Camellia sinensis (tea) leaf, both known to possess high antioxidant capacity, were included for comparison. Results: Twelve of the 55 herbs were comparable to or exceeded ORAC levels of milk thistle seed or tea leaf. The highest radical-scavenging activity was found in Olea europaea (olive leaf), Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh), Rheum palmatum (rhubarb), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), and Scutellaria lateriflora (Virginia skullcap). Conclusions: The antioxidant capacity of many of the herbs studied may, at least in part, be responsible for their reputation as being protective of organs of the urinary system. Overall, the combined ORAC values for the methanol and aqueous methanol extracts comprised 84% of the total ORAC value. Sequential extraction with solvents of different polarities may be necessary to fully extract the antioxidant principles from medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants used in Kirklareli Province (Turkey).: J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Dec 12; Authors: Kültür S

In this paper, 126 traditional medicinal plants from Kirklareli Province in Turkey have been reported. One hundred and twenty six plant species belonging to 54 families and among them 100 species were wild and 26 species were cultivated plants. Most used families were Rosaceae, Labiatae, Compositae and the most used plants were Cotinus coggyria, Sambucus ebulus, Achillea millefolium subsp. pannonica, Hypericum perforatum, Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita, Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis, Juglans regia, Thymus longicaulis subsp. longicaulis var. subisophyllus, Malva sylvestris, Urtica dioica, Plantago lanceolata, Rosa canina, Ecballium elaterium, Artemisia absinthium, Viscum album subsp. album, Papaver rhoeas, Helleborus orientalis, Cydonia oblonga, Prunus spinosa subsp. dasyphylla, Rubus discolor, Sorbus domestica. A total of 143 medicinal uses were obtained. The traditional medicinal plants have been mostly used for the treatment of wounds (25.3%), cold and influenza (24.6%), stomach (20%), cough (19%), kidney ailments (18.2%), diabetes (13.4%).

Pygeum africanum extract inhibits proliferation of human cultured prostatic fibroblasts and myofibroblasts.: >BJU Int. 2006 Nov;98(5):1106-13 Authors: Boulbès D, Soustelle L, Costa P, Haddoum M, Bali JP, Hollande F, Magous R

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Pygeum africanum (PA) extract on the proliferation of cultured human prostatic myofibroblasts and fibroblasts; this extract is used for treating urinary disorders associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary cultures of prostatic stromal cells were obtained from histologically confirmed human BPH by enzymatic digestion. Cell proliferation was measured by 5-bromo2'-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) incorporation assays, and cytotoxicity by luminescent quantification of adenylate kinase activity. RESULTS: Cultured cells were labelled by an anti-vimentin antibody, and most of them by an alpha-smooth-muscle-actin antibody, revealing the presence of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. BrdU incorporation tests showed that proliferation of cultured human stromal cells, stimulated by fetal calf serum, by basic fibroblast growth factor and by epidermal growth factor, was dose-dependently inhibited by PA extract (5-100 microg/mL). Except at 100 microg/mL, no acute cytotoxicity of the extract was detected after 24 h of culture. Similarly, the extract dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells, but to a lesser extent; whatever the dose of extract, no acute toxicity was evident on this cell line. CONCLUSION: PA extract inhibits the proliferation of cultured human prostatic myofibroblasts and fibroblasts. We propose that cultured human prostatic cells offer a reliable model for preclinical screening of therapeutic agents, and to study the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of proliferation.

The effect of modified citrus pectin on urinary excretion of toxic elements.: Phytother Res. 2006 Oct;20(10):859-64 Authors: Eliaz I, Hotchkiss AT, Fishman ML, Rode D

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of modified citrus pectin (MCP) on the urinary excretion of toxic elements in healthy individuals. MCP is a reduced molecular weight pectin (weight-average molar mass = 15,400) that is mostly linear homogalacturonan with a 3.8% degree of esterification and approximately 10% rhamnogalacturonan II based on the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxy-octonic acid. Subjects ingested 15 g of MCP (PectaSol, EcoNugenics Inc., Santa Rosa, California 95407) each day for 5 days and 20 g on day 6. Twenty-four hour urine samples were collected on day 1 and day 6 for comparison with baseline. The urine samples were analysed for toxic and essential elements. In the first 24 h of MCP administration the urinary excretion of arsenic increased significantly (130%, p < 0.05). On day 6, urinary excretion was increased significantly for cadmium (150%, p < 0.05). In addition, lead showed a dramatic increase in excretion (560%, p < 0.08). This pilot trial provides the first evidence that oral administration of MCP increases significantly the urinary excretion of toxic metals in subjects with a 'normal' body load of metals. It is suggested that systemic chelation of toxic metals by MCP may in part be attributable to the presence of rhamnogalacturonan II, which has been shown previously to chelate metals.

Hypericum perforatum L. extract - novel photosensitizer against human bladder cancer cells.: J Photochem Photobiol B. 2006 Jul 3;84(1):64-9 Authors: Stavropoulos NE, Kim A, Nseyo UU, Tsimaris I, Chung TD, Miller TA, Redlak M, Nseyo UO, Skalkos D

The polar methanolic fraction (PMF) of the Hypericum perforatum L. extract has recently been developed and tested as a novel, natural photosensitizer for use in the photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photodynamic diagnosis (PDD). PMF has been tested on HL-60 leukemic cells and cord blood hemopoietic progenitors. In the present study, the efficacy of PMF as a phototoxic agent against urinary bladder carcinoma has been studied using the T24 (high grade metastatic cancer), and RT4 (primary low grade papillary transitional cell carcinoma) human bladder cancer cells. Following cell culture incubation, PMF was excited using 630 nm laser light. The photosensitizer exhibited significant photocytotoxicity in both cell lines at a concentration of 60microg/ml, with 4-8 J/cm(2) light dose, resulting in cell destruction from 80% to 86%. At the concentration of 20microg/ml PMF was not active in either cell line. These results were compared with the results obtained in the same cell lines, under the same conditions with a clinically approved photosensitizer, Photofrin. Photofrin was used in the maximum clinically tolerable dose of 4microg/ml, and it was also excited with 630 nm laser light. In the T24 cell Photofrin exhibited slightly less photocytotocixity, compared with PMF, resulting in 77% cell death with 8J/cm(2) light dose. However, against the RT4 cells Photofrin resulted in minimal cell death (9%) with even 8J/cm(2) light dose. Finally, the type of cell death induced by PMF photoactivation was studied using flow cytometry and DNA laddering. Cell death by PMF photodynamic action in these two bladder cell lines is caused predominently by apoptosis. The reported significant photocytotoxicity, selective localization, natural abundance, easy, and inexpensive preparation, underscore that the PMF extract hold the promise of being a novel, effective PDT photosensitizer.

Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia.: N Engl J Med. 2006 Feb 9;354(6):557-66 Authors: Bent S, Kane C, Shinohara K, Neuhaus J, Hudes ES, Goldberg H, Avins AL

BACKGROUND: Saw palmetto is used by over 2 million men in the United States for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and is commonly recommended as an alternative to drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 225 men over the age of 49 years who had moderate-to-severe symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia to one year of treatment with saw palmetto extract (160 mg twice a day) or placebo. The primary outcome measures were changes in the scores on the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) and the maximal urinary flow rate. Secondary outcome measures included changes in prostate size, residual urinary volume after voiding, quality of life, laboratory values, and the rate of reported adverse effects. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the saw palmetto and placebo groups in the change in AUASI scores (mean difference, 0.04 point; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.93 to 1.01), maximal urinary flow rate (mean difference, 0.43 ml per minute; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.52 to 1.38), prostate size, residual volume after voiding, quality of life, or serum prostate-specific antigen levels during the one-year study. The incidence of side effects was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, saw palmetto did not improve symptoms or objective measures of benign prostatic hyperplasia. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00037154.).

Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori and associated urease by oregano and cranberry phytochemical synergies.: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Dec;71(12):8558-64

Authors: Lin YT, Kwon YI, Labbe RG, Shetty K

Ulcer-associated dyspepsia is caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori is linked to a majority of peptic ulcers. Antibiotic treatment does not always inhibit or kill H. pylori with potential for antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for using phenolic phytochemical extracts to inhibit H. pylori in a laboratory medium. Our approach involved the development of a specific phenolic profile with optimization of different ratios of extract mixtures from oregano and cranberry. Subsequently, antimicrobial activity and antimicrobial-linked urease inhibition ability were evaluated. The results indicated that the antimicrobial activity was greater in extract mixtures than in individual extracts of each species. The results also indicate that the synergistic contribution of oregano and cranberry phenolics may be more important for inhibition than any species-specific phenolic concentration. Further, based on plate assay, the likely mode of action may be through urease inhibition and disruption of energy production by inhibition of proline dehydrogenase at the plasma membrane.