Echinacea Purpurea Extract Specification Supplied by MIGU:

Echinacea Purpurea Extract Specification

Brief Introduction: 

Echinacea Purpurea ( latin name: Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench) is well-known and famous herbs plant used in medicinal in world. It belongs the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. This plant is widely planted for medicinal mainly used for chemical prevention and chemotherapy of infectious diseases of upper and lower respiratory system. In traditionally history, this plant commonly used in the treatment of snake bite, skin disorders, toothache, seizure, bowel pain, chronic arthritis and cancer. Nowadays, after the clinical study the purple coneflower can stimulate the immune system,upper respiratory tract infections including colds. Although the isolation and structural elucidation of its main compounds have been noticed by investigators, there is no affirmation about its mechanism of action. Alkamides, caffeic acid derivatives, and polysaccharides have been considered important constituents of the plant. A number of studies revealed that alkamides are involved in the immunomodulatory properties of Echinacea extracts in vitro and in vivo Additionally, caffeic acid is found in some species of Echinacea and could be applied toward authentication and quality control of the plant extracts. The polysaccharides play an important role in the anti-inflammatory effect of Echinacea preparations.Taxonomic, chemical, pharmacological, and clinical characteristics of some species of the Echinacea genus including E. angustifolia, E. pallida, and E. purpurea were reviewed in previous papers.Medicinal properties of the plant were also considered in a review paper, which suggested that more research is required for more definitive medicinal recommendations.

echinacea purpurea extract

Pharmacological Activity and Biological Activity for Echinacea Purpurea Extract : 

Immunomodulatory effects

The function of immunomodulatory effects for Echinacea Purpurea Extract mainly caused by three mechanisms: Phagocytosis activation, fibroblast stimulation, and the enhancement of respiratory activity that results in augmentation of leukocyte mobility.There are numerous in vivo studies on the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of E. purpurea that suggest that innate immunity is enhanced by administration of the plant and that the immune system is strengthened against pathogenic infections through activation of the neutrophils, macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), and natural killer (NK) cells.For this reason, it can be suitable for prevention against and treatment of various infectious diseases such as infections of the upper and lower respiratory systems, wound infections, and chronic pelvic infections.The complex chemical composition of the roots and herbs of Echinacea involves alkamides ketoalkenes, caffeic acid derivatives, polysaccharides, and glycoproteins, which are believed to be responsible for noted immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory activities.Moreover, alkamides are demonstrated to be effective on cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2), and this is considered as a possible mechanism of their immunomodulatory properties.Their possible molecular mechanism could be the increase of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38/MAPK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) signaling, as well as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), activating transcription factor 2/cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (ATF-2/CREB-1) in primary human monocytes and macrophages.

Anti-inflammatory effects

The Echinacea preparation, interestingly, has reversed the inflammation caused by some bacteria in a culture of epithelial cells by reducing cytokines.Carrageenan-induced paw edema in experimental animals is a test for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory effects of plants extracts.Dried root powder of the plant, administered to the mice (30-100 mg/kg), inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema similar to indomethacin. This effect may be attributed to the inhibition of COX-1 and to a lesser extent COX-2 by alkamides. Also, it is reported that the ethanol extracts of both aerial parts and roots of the plant have inhibited fibroblast-induced collagen concentration. The effects of Echinacea and some of its compounds on NF-κB expression by Jurkat cells (a human T-cell line) were assessed in the presence and absence of stimulation by LPS and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). NF-κB is a nuclear transcription factor stimulating the expression of some genes such as key factors of inflammation, e.g., TNF-α, IL-1, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and COX-2. In the absence of stimulants, all root extracts and compounds did not show a significant effect on NF-κB expression. In fact, LPS decreased NF-κB expression, while this effect was significantly reversed in the presence of root extracts, cichoric acid, and the alkamides fractions. Cichoric acid and a 2,4-diene alkamide are demonstrated to significantly increase NF-κB levels, while a 2-ene alkamide caused a significant inhibition, indicating considerable diversity in the bioactivity of this plant.

Psychoactive activity

The anxiolytic activity of Echinacea drugs was determined in experimental animals with lower doses than those used in traditional indications.Alkamides of Echinacea have been reported to have cannabinomimetic properties on both cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, which may be attributed to their structural similarity to the endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand anandamide. Anandamide’s effects are mediated in the brain and periphery by CB1 and CB2 receptors. The activation of the former with endogenous ligands plays a considerable role in controlling anxiety and the latter is mainly involved in immune system activities. Plants rich in alkamides induce paresthesia and were applied by Native Americans traditionally and also by physicians in the early 20^th century as a sialogogue, an antitussive, and a remedy for toothache. The slight differences in the structures of the alkamides revealed significant differences in CB receptor activity, for instance the replacement of isobutylamide moiety of the dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10Z/E-tetraenoic acid isobutylamide for 2-methylbutylamide moiety turned the G-protein stimulation property from inverse agonist to partial agonist. However, the extracts of E. purpurea were not active in the antiacetylcholinesterase (antiAChE) assay.The plant tincture increased the stimulation effect of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and showed antidepressant activity in the clofelin-induced depression test in white rats.

echinacea purpurea extract planting base

Antibacterial and antifungal activity

The extract of E. purpurea considerably inhibited growth of Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but no inhibition zone was observed for Aspergillus niger. The extract obtained by classical method showed higher antimicrobial activity in comparison with those obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction. In another study, three pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, and Legionella pneumophila were sensitive to the preparation of the plant, although Acinetobacter baumannii, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis (vancomycin-resistant), Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were relatively resistant to the drug, while two fungi organisms, C. albicans and Trichoderma viride, were essentially resistant to the preparation.The hexane extract of the root inhibited both yeasts S. cerevisiae and C. albicans. Additionally, 1-Tridecene-3,5,7,9,11-pentayne, a polyacetylenic compound from root of the plant has showed light-mediated inhibition toward S. cerevisiae.