Euphrasia planta tota extract revealed a variety of anti-inflammatory properties

Introduction Euphrasia officinalis, a traditional herbal medicine is used in the treatment of irritated eyes for indications like allergic or non-infectious conjunctivitis and catarrhal inflammation accompanied by symptoms like redness, swelling, pain and increased lacrimation.

Aim Detailed investigations of pharmaceutical mode of actions for Euphrasia are very scarce. With this study we present a variety of pathways, effectively targeted by the treatment of Euphrasia planta tota (EPT), demonstrating its anti-inflammatory properties in vitro.

Method Dry extracts from EPT were prepared according to V.3c HAB. Anti-oxidative effects were investigated by the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was analyzed by enzyme inhibition assays. Activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was analyzed in a reporter assay with the human Jurkat T-cell line.

Results We investigated the anti-oxidative effects of EPT, showing its preventive capability of tissue damage by reduction of oxidative radicals. Furthermore, we demonstrated effective enzyme inhibition of the inflammatory mediators COX-2 and 5-LO, which play a major role in pain and inflammation. We also revealed a decreased activity of several MMPs, which are common drivers for the inflammatory cascade in eye irritation by degrading inflamed tissue. And we show a concentration-dependent inhibition of NF-κB translocation, generally involved in regulation of immune response and inflammation ([Fig. 1]).

Fig. 1

Conclusion Altogether, these mechanisms targeted by EPT are contributing to a general anti-inflammatory response and preventing oxidative damage, which ultimately promotes the wound-healing process of the affected tissue in irritated eyes.

Publication History

Article published online:
13 June 2022