The discovery of novel immunomodulatory medicinal plants by combination of historical text reviews and immunological screening assays

Emilie Steinbakk Ulriksen; Hussain Shakeel Butt; Ane Ohrvik; Rebecca Angelica Blakeney; Anneleen Kool; Helle Wangensteen; Marit Inngjerdingen; Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.115402

The discovery of novel immunomodulatory medicinal plants by combination of historical text reviews and immunological screening assays

J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 Oct 5:296:115402. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115402. Epub 2022 May 28.

Authors

Emilie Steinbakk Ulriksen¹, Hussain Shakeel Butt², Ane Ohrvik³, Rebecca Angelica Blakeney⁴, Anneleen Kool⁵, Helle Wangensteen⁶, Marit Inngjerdingen⁷, Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: e.s.ulriksen@medisin.uio.no.
² Section for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: h.s.butt@farmasi.uio.no.
³ Cultural History and Museology, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: ane.ohrvik@ikos.uio.no.
⁴ Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: r.a.blakeney@nhm.uio.no.
⁵ Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: anneleen.kool@nhm.uio.no.
⁶ Section for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: helle.wangensteen@farmasi.uio.no.
⁷ Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: marit.inngjerdingen@medisin.uio.no.
⁸ Section for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: k.t.inngjerdingen@farmasi.uio.no.

PMID: 35640738
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115402

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: With the advent of immunotherapies against cancers, autoimmune diseases and infections, there is a steady demand for novel medicines. New sources for discovery of potentially novel immunomodulatory compounds are therefore needed. Nature contains a large and diverse reservoir of novel compounds that can be exploited for their potential as new drugs, and exploring the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine is highly relevant.

Aim of the study: We aimed with this study to explore usage of medicinal plants in Scandinavian folk medicine against diseases interpreted to involve the immune system, and to further screen water extracts from previously overlooked medicinal plants in order to discover potential new sources of immunomodulatory compounds.

Materials and methods: We systematically investigated historical records dating back to the 1800s with an emphasis on plants used as treatment for wounds or diseases interpreted to be inflammatory. Of 74 candidate plants, 23 pharmacologically under-studied species were selected for further characterization. The plants were collected from their natural habitats in Southern Norway, air-dried, and subjected to boiling water and accelerated solvent extraction. The crude extracts were separated into polysaccharide-enriched fractions and C-18 solid phase extracted fractions. Immunological screenings were performed with all extracts and fractions. Monosaccharide composition and total phenolic content were determined and compared across all species.

Results: We identified 10 species with clear immune activating effects and 8 species with immune inhibitory effects by comparing cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, primary human T- and NK-cell proliferation, and nitric oxide production from macrophages.

Conclusions: With this study, we provide a comprehensive overview of Scandinavian medicinal plants and their usage, and our findings support an approach of combining historical sources with modern pharmacology in the discovery of plant sources containing potentially new pharmacological compounds.

Keywords: Folk medicine; Immunomodulation; Phenolics; Polysaccharides; Scandinavia.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Ethnopharmacology
Humans
Leukocytes, Mononuclear
Medicine, Traditional
Phytotherapy
Plant Extracts / pharmacology
Plant Extracts / therapeutic use
Plants, Medicinal*
Water

Substances

Plant Extracts
Water