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Clinical Studies
References
Gotu Kola is used for reducing fatigue, improving memory, venous insufficiency including varicose veins, circulation, wound healing and increasing longevity. Gotu Kola is also used for memory loss and as an aphrodisiac. The triterpenoid saponins in Gotu Kola seem to be involved in wound healing and decreasing venous pressure in venous insufficiency, whilst the asiaticoside and madecassoside have anti-inflammatory activity. There is also some evidence that asiaticosides might promote wound healing by stimulating collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis.
There is preliminary evidence that asiaticosides might also have preventive and therapeutic effects on gastrointestinal ulcers. Anti-ulcer mechanisms may be due to strengthening action on gastric mucosal lining and suppression of damaging effects of free radicals. There is preliminary evidence that Gotu Kola extracts might have sedative, anticonvulsant and analgesic effects, possibly mediated in part via increased levels of the inhibitory transmitter, GABA .
Gotu Kola extracts also seem to have antibacterial activity in vitro against various bacteria such as pseudomonas pyocyaneus, trichoderma mentagrophytes and entamoeba histolytica, and antiviral activity against herpes simplex type II. There is some interest in using Gotu Kola to treat cancer. Dried powder extracts of Gotu Kola exhibit cytotoxic and anti-tumor properties in preliminary studies. Normal lymphocytes are not harmed, which suggests Gotu Kola exerts selective toxicity towards tumor cells.
Gotu Kola may be beneficial in aging, arteriosclerosis, depression, headaches, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, fatigue, chronic venous insufficiency, sexual insufficiency, varicose veins and wound healing.
Published Clinical Studiesclin
1
An in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo demonstration of the lipolytic effect of slimming liposomes: An unexpected alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonism.
Tholon L, Neliat G, Chesne C, Saboureau D, Perrier E, Branka JE.
Coletica, 32 rue Saint Jean de Dieu, 69007 Lyon, France.
Most of the slimming products already developed for cosmetic applications did not result from strategies that integrate whole lipolysis-regulating mechanisms. We thus focused our attention on a more complete integration of these mechanisms and we developed slimming liposomes (SLC) containing two micro-circulation activators, i.e., esculoside and Centella asiatica extracts, one phosphodiesterase inhibitor, i.e., caffeine, and one fatty acid-beta oxidation activator, i.e., L-carnitine. The validity of our approach was assessed through (a) in vitro tests demonstrating that SLC induced a dramatic increase in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) content in human adipocytes, with a subsequent rise in the nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) content of human adipocyte incubation medium, and (b) in vivo studies showing that SLC could provide an actual potent slimming effect on human volunteers. Moreover, we give here, through binding experiments, the unambiguous demonstration that SLC is able to antagonize the alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor that is known to reduce intracellular AMPc content and, subsequently, to down-regulate lipolysis. This alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonism has never been reported for any component of SLC, and this work is the first demonstration of the alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonism of such a combination of active liposome compounds.
Publication Types:
PMID: 12219247 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Anti-oxidant activity of Centella asiatica on lymphoma-bearing mice.2
Jayashree G, Kurup Muraleedhara G, Sudarslal S, Jacob VB.
Applied Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Biosciences, MG University, PD Hills (PO), Kottayam, Kerala 686560, India. jayashree@mbu.iisc.ernet.in
Oral treatment with 50 mg X kg(-1) day(-1) of crude methanol extract of Centella asiatica for 14 days significantly increased the anti-oxidant enzymes, like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), and anti-oxidants like glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid decreased in lymphoma-bearing mice.
PMID: 12837356 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
3
[Effectiveness of the combination of alpha tocopherol, rutin, melilotus, and centella asiatica in the treatment of patients with chronic venous insufficiency]
Cataldi A, Gasbarro V, Viaggi R, Soverini R, Gresta E, Mascoli F.
Unita Operativa Chirurgia Vascolare, Arcispedale S. Anna, Turin, Italy. alberto.cataldi@galactica.it
BACKGROUND: The aim of this comparative clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of the association of alphatocopherol, rutin, melilotus officinalis, and centella asiatica with oral administration in patients with chronic venous insufficiency. METHODS: Thirty patients with chronic venous insufficiency have been randomized in two groups of fifteen subjects (control and treatment group). During the period of treatment the patients didn't wear elastocompressive stockings. The therapeutic efficacy and the clinical tolerability of this association have been valued with clinical-instrumental evaluations and by a control after 15 and 30 days. Functional bothers, cramps and the edema have been valued in function presence and of their gravity with a clinical-score between 0 and 4. RESULTS: At the end of the observation period, a significant improvement of the clinical simptomatology was obtained, characterised by a diminution of the sovrafascial edema. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms previous clinical experiences regarding the described treatment and suggests its application in chronic venous insufficiency.
Publication Types:
PMID: 11292962 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4
Effect of different extracts of Centella asiatica on cognition and markers of oxidative stress in rats.
Veerendra Kumar MH, Gupta YK.
Department of Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India.
Centella asiatica, a plant mentioned in Indian literature has been described to possess CNS effects such as stimulatory-nervine tonic, rejuvenant, sedative, tranquilizer and intelligence promoting property. In the present study aqueous, methanolic and chloroform extracts of C. asiatica were investigated for their effect on cognitive functions in rats. Male Wistar rats of 200-250 g were used to study the effect on learning and memory by using shuttle box, step through, step down and elevated plus maze paradigms. Only the aqueous extract of whole plant (200 mg/kg for 14 days) showed an improvement in learning and memory in both shuttle box and step through paradigms. Therefore, further experiments were conducted with aqueous extract using 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg doses in different paradigms of learning and memory. All doses of aqueous extract increased the number of avoidances in shuttle box and prolonged the step through latency in step through apparatus in a dose dependent manner, while only two doses 200 and 300 mg/kg of aqueous extract showed significant increase in the step down latency in step down apparatus and transfer latency (TL) in elevated plus maze. Among doses of aqueous extract tested on oxidative stress parameters, only 200 and 300 mg/kg showed a significant decrease in the brain levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) with simultaneous significant increase in levels of glutathione. There was a significant increase in the levels of catalase at the 300 mg/kg but no significant change in superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were observed. The present findings indicate that the aqueous extract of C. asiatica has cognitive enhancing effect and an antioxidant mechanism is involved.
PMID: 11801389 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
5
Effect of Centella asiatica on pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling, cognition and oxidative stress in rats.
Gupta YK, Veerendra Kumar MH, Srivastava AK.
Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, 110029, New Delhi, India. ykg@hotmail.com
Cognitive impairment in epileptics may be a consequence of the epileptogenic process as well as antiepileptic medication. Thus, there is a need for drugs, which can suppress epileptogenesis as well as prevent cognitive impairment. In the present study, the effect of aqueous extract of Centella asiatica (CA) (100 and 300 mg/kg), an Indian medicinal plant known to possess antiepileptic, cognitive-enhancing and antioxidant property, was evaluated on the course of kindling development, kindling-induced learning deficit and oxidative stress markers in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindled rats. Male Wistar rats were injected PTZ (30 mg/kg ip) once every alternate day (48+/-2 h) until the development of the kindling. Passive avoidance test and spontaneous locomotor activity were carried out 24 and 48 h after the last administration of PTZ, while the oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA] and glutathione) were carried out in the whole brain upon completion of the behavioral assessment. The administration of CA (300 mg/kg orally) decreased the PTZ-kindled seizures and showed improvement in the learning deficit induced by PTZ kindling as evidenced by decreased seizure score and increased latencies in passive avoidance behavior. However, low dose of the CA (100 mg/kg) showed improvement only in the learning deficit due to the kindling and failed to improve the seizure score. The findings suggest the potential of aqueous extract of CA as adjuvant to antiepileptic drugs with an added advantage of preventing cognitive impairment.
PMID: 12543222 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
6
Asiatic acid derivatives protect cultured cortical neurons from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity.
Lee MK, Kim SR, Sung SH, Lim D, Kim H, Choi H, Park HK, Je S, Ki YC.
College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Korea.
Asiatic acid, a triterpene of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (Umbelliferae), has been patented as a treatment for dementia and an enhancer of cognition by the Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft (EP 0 383 171 A2). We modified the chemical structure of asiatic acid and obtained 36 derivatives of asiatic acid in an attempt to prepare neuroprotective compounds that were more efficacious than asiatic acid itself. The neuroprotective activities of these derivatives were evaluated using primary cultures of rat cortical neurons insulted with the neurotoxin, glutamate, as an in vitro screening system. Among the semi-synthesized derivatives, three derivatives significantly mitigated the neurotoxicity induced by glutamate in this screening system. The neuroprotective activities of these 3 derivatives appeared to be more powerful than that of asiatic acid itself. These 3 derivatives significantly attenuated decreases in the levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and other enzymes, which participate in the cellular defense mechanisms blunting oxidative stress. Furthermore, they significantly reduced the overproduction of NO induced by glutamate. These results showed that these derivatives of asiatic acid exerted significant neuroprotective effects on cultured cortical cells by their potentiation of the cellular oxidative defense mechanism. Therefore, these agents may prove to be efficacious in protecting neurons from the oxidative damage caused by exposure to excess glutamate.
PMID: 11758977 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7
Total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica in chronic venous insufficiency and in high-perfusion microangiopathy.
Incandela L, Cesarone MR, Cacchio M, De Sanctis MT, Santavenere C, D'Auro MG, Bucci M, Belcaro G.
Vascular Unit, Ealing Hospital, London, UK.
Total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica (TTFCA) is effective in improving venous wall alterations in chronic venous hypertension and in protecting the venous endothelium. TTFCA is active on connective tissue modulation, improves the synthesis of collagen and other tissue proteins by modulating the action of fibroblasts in the vein wall, and stimulates collagen remodeling in and around the venous wall. This is due to the modulating action of TTFCA on fibroblasts as shown by experiments on the growth of human embryonal fibroblasts. TTFCA has a moderate in-vitro and in-vivo stimulating effect on collagen synthesis and, at higher dosages, an inhibition on the synthesis of collagen and acid mucopolysaccharides. Studies have indicated the role of TTFCA on the synthesis of specific venous wall elements by cell cultures of human embryonal fibroblasts. The tissue-stimulating action is shown by the increased collagen production independent from the stimulation of cell proliferation (this differentiates the action of TTFCA from cell growth factors). TTFCA is active on the microcirculation in venous and diabetic microangiopathy. Signs and symptoms of venous hypertension and edema are improved by treatment. The remodeling on collagen synthesis could be one of the possible mechanisms of actions of TTFCA in the remodeling of echolucent (soft; therefore, with risk of thrombosis and embolization) plaques at the carotid and femoral bifurcation. This compound is safe and well tolerated. In conclusion, several actions of TTFCA in vascular diseases makes the use of this compound very interesting in venous and arterial problems.
Publication Types:
PMID: 11666128 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Radioprotection of Swiss albino mouse by Centella asiatica extract.8
Sharma J, Sharma R.
Department of Zoology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 302004, India.
Centella asiatica, has a considerable reputation in the Indian system of medicine. It is a rasayan (general tonic), brain tonic, improves memory and strengthens the CNS. In view of its multifarious uses, the plant extract was tested for its radioprotective properties. A sublethal dose of Co 60 gamma radiation, i.e. 8 Gy was selected for the purpose. Animals were divided into two groups. The whole bodies were irradiated with Co 60 gamma radiation externally, with and without drug extract. The drug extract was given orally at different doses and for different time intervals. The dose that was most effective against radiation was 100 mg/kg body weight. This dose increased the survival time of the mice significantly. Body weight loss of the animals in the drug treated group was significantly less in comparison with the animals that were given radiation only. The causes and mechanism of protection and other aspects need further investigations. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PMID: 12458490 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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