title: Complement modulating activity of Rwandan medicinal plants.
abstract: Forty-two ethanolic extracts of thirty-six Rwandan medicinal plants were investigated for their influence on complement-mediated hemolysis. The plants were selected on the base of their ethnomedicinal use in infections and autoimmune diseases. Eight plant extracts showed an inhibitory activity against the classical pathway of the complement system and ten plant extracts against the alternative pathway. Three plant extracts exhibited an interesting activity against both pathways, i.e. Aspilia pluriseta, Coleus kilimandschari, and Macaranga kilimandscharica (leaves and stem). Further study indicated that the complement inhibitory activity was not caused by chelation of bivalent cations or by direct action on the target erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cos
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Poel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Bruyne
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apers
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Sindambiwe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanden Berghe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vlietinck
mesh_terms: D003167:Complement Activation; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018514:Plant Structures; D012432:Rwanda
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts