Description
Cnidium is a Chinese medicine which is used widely by traditional medicine doctors.
Cnidium has been recorded in almost all of the pharmaceutical monographs , including Shen Nong’s Classic Materia Medica, New Materia Medica, Compendium of Materia Medica, etc. Osthole is a major bioactivity compound of the Cnidium, which has the effect of dampness dispelling, insecticidal antipruritic,and aphrodisiac and is used for the treatment for pruritus and eczema, lumbago,kidney impotence, and infertility .
Osthole is derived from Umbelliferae and Rutaceae plants. Osthole is also distributed
in Asteraceae and Leguminosae plants. Osthole is present in 14 genera of Umbelliferae plants: danggui (Angelica L.), gudanggui (Archangelica Hoffm.), mianguoqin (Cachrys L.), shechuang (Cnidium Cusson), awei (Ferula L.), duhuo (Heracleum L.), yanfeng (Libanotis Hill), ouqin (Petroselinum Hill), qianhu (Peucedanum L.), huiqin (Pimpinella L.), liangshechuang (Selinum L.). Shuanchiqin (Prangos Lindl), xifengqin (Seseli L.), oufangfeng (Pastinaca L.). Osthole is present in 17 genera of Rutaceae plants: ganju (Citrus L.), huangpi (Clausena Burm. F.), xiangju (Feronia Correa), jupanmu (Flindersia R. Br.), niyunxiang (Haplophyllum A. Juss.), mizhuyu (Melicope J. R. and G. Forst.), xiaoyunmu (Micromelum Bl.), jiulixiang (Murraya Koenig ex L.), zhi (Poncirus Raf.), yinyu (Skimmia Thunb.), Limonia, Myrtopsis, Pentaceras, Phebalium, Pilocarpus, Thamnosma, Ticorea) .
Physical properties
Appearance: white needlelike crystalline powder. Solubility: soluble in methanol.
Melting point: 83–84 °C.
History
Cnidium is a Chinese medicine which is used widely by traditional medicine doctors.
Osthole was isolated in 1950 and then its chemical structure was determined
. Osthole can be extracted by solvent method, acid-base method,
ultrasound, and supercritical and other methods. The main methods for the separation
of osthole are recrystallization, chromatography, and so on. With the development
of modern pharmacological experimental methods and techniques, the
pharmacological effects of osthole have been discovered and developed. It is found
that osthole has many pharmacological activities such as anti-osteoporosis, antiplatelet
aggregation, antiviral, anti-mutation, anti-allergic reaction, and so on. In
recent years, it has been found that osthole has obvious antitumor activity. In addition,
osthole also has strong insecticidal and antifungal effects. In the future, osthole
is expected to be developed as a new kind of low-toxicity, high-efficiency, and lowresidue
pesticide.
Uses
Osthole inhibits the PI3K/Akt pathway thus inhibiting insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in brain cancer. Osthole may be used in the treatment of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Definition
ChEBI: A natural product found in Peucedanum ostruthium and Angelica pubescens.
Indications
Impotence, infertility, uterine cold, wet nose with low back pain, vulva eczema,
woman vulvae, trichomonas vaginitis
Pharmacology
1. Osthole can enhance the non-specific immune function of mice.
2. Osthole exhibits protective effect on the heart and circulatory system. Osthole
can dilate blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, reduce blood lipid, and inhibit
the formation of venous thrombosis.
3. Osthole has a central sedative effect and can improve the learning and memory
function of mice.
4. Osthole presents the effect of relieving asthma by regulating the function of
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex system.
5. Osthole has antiaging and antioxidant effects, which may be related to the
direct scavenging of oxygen free radicals.
6. Osthole reduces osteoporosis and bone resorption in ovariectomized rats and
increases bone mass. Osthole can effectively prevent osteoporosis in ovariectomized
rats, prevent bone loss, and maintain bone metabolism balance.
7. Osthole can relieve itching, which may be related to blocking the Ca2+ channel
of mast cells, decreasing the flow of Ca2+, and inhibiting the release of histamine
from mast cells.
8. Osthole is a noncompetitive antagonist of Ca2+, which can inhibit the smooth
muscle of the uterus. In addition, osthole has a certain androgen-like, estrogen-like
effect.
9. Osthole has anti-inflammatory effects on acute and chronic inflammation models,
and its anti-inflammatory mechanism is not through the pituitary-adrenal cortex system, but also with the synthesis of PGE. It may be possible to exert anti-inflammatory effects by enhancing non-specific immune function and/or anti-allergic reactions .
10. Accumulating experimental evidences have shown that osthole exhibited antiproliferative properties and induced apoptosis in various kinds of tumor cells.
Besides, osthole has broad-spectrum antibacterial and insecticidal effects.
Clinical Use
In vitro and in vivo experimental results have revealed that osthole demonstrates
multiple pharmacological actions including neuroprotective, osteogenic, immunomodulatory,anticancer, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular protective, and antimicrobial activities. Osthole is expected to be used in the treatment of cardiovascular system, central nervous system, and immune system diseases.
