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Andrographis:
1.
Common Andrographis Herb
Common
Andrographis herb is the dried aerial part of Andrographis
paniculata (Burm. f,) Nees (Fam. Acanthacceae).
Action:
To remove heat, counteract toxicity, and induce subsidence of
swelling.
Indications:
Influenza with fever, sore throat, ulcers in the mouth or on
the tongue, acute or chronic cough, colitis, dysentery,
urinary infection with difficult painful urination,
carbuncles, sored, venomous snake bite.
Usage
and dosage: 6-9g,
appropriate quantity for external use.
A Coloured Atlas of the Chinese Materia Medica Specified in
Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (1995
Edition).
Pharmacopoeia Commission of the Ministry of Public Health,
P.R.China. P347-348.
2.Chemical
Study of Andrographis
A crystal compound,
Andrographide, was first isolated from Andrographis by Boorsma in 1896.
In 1911, Corter identified this compound a Lactone. Later
studies showed active chemical components in Andrographis are
Andrographolide and Neo-Andrographolide.
Sichuan
Chinese Herb Research Institute. Review
of Chemical Studies on A. paniculata. Journal of New
Medicine and New Drugs 1973(9): 23-30
3.
A Comparison of Four Lactones from Andrographis
Panculata
There
are four lactones in Andrographis paniculata:
deoxyandrographolide(Andrographis A), andrographolide (Andrographis
B), neoandrographolide(Andrographis C) and
deoxydidehydroandrographolide(Andrographis D).
Andrograpolide and total lactone are the common forms
used in clinics. Animal
studies on rat and mice conclude that all four lactones have
anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic effect. Since the herb
showed no effect in treating infected animals when adrenal
gland of the animals were totally removed.
This suggested that Andrographis might exert
anti-inflammation through stimulating the adrenal gland.
Wenlong
Deng, Renji Nie, Jiayu Liu. A Comparison of Four Lactones from
Andrographis Paniculata. Pharmacology News. Vol.17(4): 4-6
Anti-inflammtory
and Anti-infection Studies:
1.
Use Andrographis A, B, C to Treat Acute Infections.
Sichuan
Provincial Herb Institute in China used Andrographis A, B, C
to treat 84 cases (50 male and 34 females) of flu patients in
1973. All
patients did not take any antibiotics before being treated in
the hospital. Their
temperature range from 38C to 40C. Ages
vary from 4 years old to 55 years old.
Patients were divided into three groups and each group
was given different components, Andrographis A, B, C or D.
The total effective rate was 83.3%.
Antibiotics were added to the treatment for 14
ineffective cases.
Research
Group of Sichuan Provincial Herb Institute. Use A. paniculata
I, II, and III to Treat Acute Infections. Sichuan Chinese Herb
News.
1973, No.2: 16,17,40
2.
Use Andrographis A, B, C to Treat Acute Infections
A
pharmacological research institute in Shanghai China conducted
a study on 165 dysentery patients in 1973.
One hundred and sixty five patients were given
Andrographis tablets. Equal to crude powder 15.6g/day.
Twenty-eight patients were given Furoxone, a common
drug used to treat dysentery.
The result showed the effective rate of Andrographis
was 75.2% and the effective rate of Fluoxone was 71.4%.
Research
Group of Sichuan Provincial Herb Institute. Use A. paniculata
I, II, and III to Treat Acute Infections. Sichuan Chinese Herb
News.
1973, No.2: 16,17,40
3.
Use Andrographis A, B, C to Treat Acute Infections
In
1972, a Chinese herb research institute used Andrographis A
and Andrographis C to treat 24 cases of upper respiratory
tract infection, acute tonsilitis, and bronchitis.
The average recovery is about 4 to 7 days.
Research
Group of Sichuan Provincial Herb Institute. Use A. paniculata
I, II, and III to Treat Acute Infections. Sichuan Chinese Herb
News.
1973, No.2: 16,17,40
4.Dehydroandrographolide
succinic acid monoester as an inhibitor against the human
immunodeficiency virus.
Dehydroandrographolide succinic acid monoester (DASM)
is the dehydroandrographolyl ester of succinic acid; and
andrographolide, from which DASM is made, is the major
deterpenoid lactone found in the Chinese medicinal herb,
Andrographis paniculata.
DASM has been found to be an inhibitor against the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro.
It was nontoxic to the H9 cell at the concentrations of
50-200 (average, 108) micrograms/ml and was inhibitory to the
HIV-I (IIIB) at the minimal concentration of 1.6-3.1 (average
2.0) micrograms/ml. It
was also inhibitory to two other strains of HIV-1 and a strain
of HIV-2. This inhibitory effect could also be demonsstrated in
cultures of activated human blood mononuclear cells; the 50%
toxic dose and the 50% HIV inhibitory dose were about
200-reater than or equal to 400 and 0.8-2 microgaams/ml,
respectively. At
the subtoxic concentration, DASM partially interfered with HIV
–induced cell fusion and with the binding of HIV to the H9
cell. Presumable,
it also interfered with HIV replication at another
unidentified step(s).
Chan
RS, Ding L, Chen GQ, Pan QC, Zhao ZL, Smith KM.
Dehydroandrographolide succinic acid monoester as an inhibitor
against the human immunodeficiency virus. Proc Soc Exp Biol
Med. 1991 May; 197(1): 59-66.
4.
Immunostimulant agent from Andrographis paniculata:
EtOH
extract and purified diterpene andrographolides of
Andrographis paniculata (Acanthaceae) induced significant
stimulation of antibody and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH)
response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in mice. The plant preparations also stimulated nonspecific immune
response of the animals measured in terms of macrophage
migration index (MMI) phagocytosis of 14C-leucine labelled
Escherichia coli and proliferation of splenic lymphocytes.
The stimulation of both antigen specific and
nonspecific immune response was, however, of lower order with
andrographolide than with the EtOH extract, suggesting thereby
that substance(s) other than andrographolide present in the
extract may also be contributing towards immunostimulation.
Puri
A, Saxena R, Saxena RP, Saxena KC, Srivastava V, Tandon JS. Immunostimulant
agent from Andrographis paniculata J Nat Prod. 1993 Jul;
56(7):995-9.
Studies
on liver Protection:
1.
Hepatoprotective activity of andrographolide against
galactosamine & paracetamol intoxication in rats.
Hepatoprotective
effect of andrographolide (the major active deterpenoid
lactone of the plant Andrographis paniculata) was studied on
acute hepatitis induced in rats by single dose of
galactosamine (800mg/kg, ip)/paracetamol (3g/kg, po). Hepatoprotective activity was monitored by estimating the
serum transaminases (GOT and GPT), alkline phosphatase and
bilirubin in serum, hepatic triglycerides, and by
histopathological changes in the livers of experimental rats.
The result confirmed the in vivo hepatoprotective
effect of andrographolide against galactosamine or
paracetamo-innduced hepatotoxicity in rats.
Handa
SS, Sharma A.
Hepatoprotective activity of andrographolide against
galactosamine & paracetamol intoxication in rats.
Indian J Med Res.1990 Aug; 92:284-92.
2.
Andrographolide protects rat hepatocytes against
paracetamol-induced damage.
Andrographolide,
the active constituent isolated from the plant Andrographis
paniculata, showed a significant dose dependent (0.75-12mg/kg
p.o. x 7) protective activity against paracetamol-induced
toxicity on ex vivo preparation of isolated rat hepatocytes.
It significantly increased the percent viability of the
hepatocytes as tested by trypan blue exclusion and oxygen
uptake tests. It
completely antagonized the toxic effects of paracetamol on
certain enzymed (GOT, GPT and alkaline phosphatase) in serum
as well as in isolated hepatic cells.
Andrographolide was found to be more potent than
silymarin, a standard hepatoprotective agent.
Visen
PK, Shukla B, Patnaik GK, Dhavan BN. Andrographolide protects
rat hepatocytes against paracetamol-induced damage J
Ethnopharmacol. 1993,Oct;
40(2):131-6.
Toxicity
Studies:
1.
Testicular toxicity asessment of Andrographis
paniculata dried extract in rats
The
possible testicular toxicity of Andrographis paniculata, Nees
(Acanthaceae) standardized dried extract was evaluated in male
Sprague Dawley rats for 60 days.
No testicular toxicity was found with the treatment of
20, 200 and 1000 mg/kg during 60 days as evaluated by
reproductive organ weight, testicular histology,
ultrastructural analysis of Leydig cells and testosterone
levels after 60 days of treatment. It is concluded that Andrographis paniculata dried extract
did not produce subchronic testicular toxicity effect in male
rats.
Burgos
RA, Caballero EE, Sanchez NS, Schroeder RA, Wikman GK, Hancke
JL. J Ethnopharmacel 1997 Nov.58(3):219-24.
2.
An acute toxicity
study reported that the LD50 of Andrographis paniculata is too
high to be determined. …A
chronic toxicity study on dogs showed no pathological changes
were found in the animals after administering 15 times the
clinical dosage of A. paniculata.
Shanghai Pharmacology Research Institute. The Chemical
Compounds to Treat Dysentery in A. paniculata and Clinical
Study. Journal of
New Medicine and New Drugs. 1973, 9: 4-7
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