Anti-inflammatories alkamides

Benefits Echinacea is held to be one of the most effective detoxifying herbs in Western medicine for a range of ailments, and is now used in ayurvedic medicine. The polyynes and cichoric acid components are reported to have antibacterial and virostatic effects. Echinacea also demonstrates an anti-inflammatory effect due to the alkamides component. As an immune stimulant, it significantly raises immunoglobulin M levels. Antiviral activities against both the Herpes simplex virus Type I and the influenza-A virus have been observed. 

Alkamides (Figure 8.2) are of interest because this group of compounds has immune-enhancing activity as well as anti-inflammatory activity (Muller-Jakic et al., 1994). Wills and Stuart (1999) reported the alkamide levels of 0.62% (6.2 mg/g) and 0.10% (1 mg/g) for E. purpurea roots and aerial parts, respectively. Further investigation... 

Since alkamides are also present in preparations of . purpurea expressed sap and have shown phagocytosis stimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects (see E, angustifolia and E, purpurea roots) [54-56], they have also to be discussed as one of the active principles. 

Anti-inflammatory activity. Alkamides from E. angustifolia, and other medicinal herbs, exhibited in vitro inhibition of sheep seminal microsome cyclooxygenase and porcine leukocyte 5-lipooxygenase. ... 

Piper alkamides have been reported to possess various activities, like AC AT inhibition (hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis treatment) [220], cytotoxic [203], antimicobacterial and antibacterial [209], antifungal [210,211], insecticidal [221,222], antiprotozoan [22], anxiol3+ic, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory [23], and analgesic [20,21]. These Piper alkamides all include a characteristic methylendioxy group, which makes them inhibitors of cytochrome P450 metabohsm. 

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