Biomedicine: The occurrence and use of rhodiocyanosides and cyanogenic glucosides in herbal medicine for treatment of allergies, lung and skin diseases

Danish title: Biomedicin: Forekomt af rhodiocyanosider og cyanogene glucosider i lægeurter og deres brug i traditionel urtemedicin til behandling af allergi, lunge- og hudsygdomme.  

 

The Dictionary of Chinese Materia Medica lists Rhodiola sacra belonging to the genus Rhodiola (Crassulaceae) as an important medicinal plant. Extracts from its underground rhizome (rootstock) denoted “Si Lie Hong Jing Tian” have been used as a hemostatic, to cure lung disorders, to heal ruptured pulmonary capillaries, as an anti-bechic and as a tonic and endemic-linement for burns and contusions. Two nitrile glucosides, rhodiocyanoside A and D, were previously identified in roots from Rhodiola species. They were also reported to inhibit histamine release from rat peritoneal cells.

 

In this research project, plant extracts known for similar properties or to contain similar glucosidic constituents are being analysed for their content of rhodiocyanosides and the co-occurring cyanogenic glucosides linamarin and lotaustralin. Rhodiola rosea, the foremost variety in herbal medicine, proved to contain lotaustralin and the rhodiocyanosides and so did commercial Rhodiola rosea tablets. Contents in roots varied from a few µg/g FW up to 400 µg/g FW. Extracts of red clover flowers are likewise used against coughs and for skin healing. Rhodiocyanosides A and D plus linamarin and lotaustrlin are indeed present in flowers, shoots and leaves with maximum levels around 10 µg/g FW. White clover is a potent source of linamarin and lotaustralin but was not found to produce the rhodiocyanosides. The rhodiocyanoside aglucons have previously been isolated from black currant buds. We demonstrated that leaves, buds and berries contain lotaustralin and rhodiocyanosides up to 0.5 µg/g FW.

 

The pharmacological effects of the four isolated glucosides and of a range of herbal extracts are now being analyzed using human cell lines and rats in collaboration with Dr. Per Stahl Skov, RefLab, Danish University Hospital, Copenhagen

 

Researchers involved: Nanna Bjarnholt, Birger lIndberg Møller, Søren Bak

 

Foreign collaborators: Per Stahl Skov, RefLab, Danish University Hospital, Copenhagen; Nils Brünner, Pharmacology, KVL

 

Financial support: KVL PhD stipend