PADMA-28, a traditional tibetan herbal preparation inhibits the respiratory burst in human neutrophils, the killing of epithelial cells by mixtures of oxidants and pro-inflammatory agonists and peroxidation of lipids.
Both aqueous and methanolic fractions derived from the Tibetan preparation PADMA-28 (a mixture of 22 plants) used as an anti-atherosclerotic agent, and which is non-cytolytic to a variety of mammalian cells, were found to strongly inhibit (1) the killing of epithelial cells in culture induced by 'cocktails' comprising oxidants, membrane perforating agents and proteinases; (2) the generation of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence in human neutrophils stimulated by opsonized bacteria; (3) the peroxidation of intralipid (a preparation rich in phopholipids) induced in the presence of copper; and (4) the activity of neutrophil elastase. It is proposed that PADMA-28 might prove beneficial for the prevention of cell damage induced by synergism among pro-inflammatory agonists which is central in the initiation of tissue destruction in inflammatory and infectious conditions.
Ginsburg
I
I
Department of Oral Biology, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
Sadovnik
M
M
Sallon
S
S
Milo-Goldzweig
I
I
Mechoulam
R
R
Breuer
A
A
Gibbs
D
D
Varani
J
J
Roberts
S
S
Cleator
E
E
Singh
N
N