Several plants have antitussive, bronchodilator and antiasthmatic activities.
Erigeron canadensis has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of respiratory diseases, including acute upper and lower respiratory tract infections and cough-related asthma.
The objective of the work of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Slovakia, in 2022 was the chemical characterization of the Erigeron polysaccharide-protein polyphenol complex, verification of its potential pharmacological effect, and comparison with the effects of similar complexes isolated by a similar procedure from other medicinal plants.
Guinea pigs were used as a test system for pharmacological studies to investigate the active ingredients of Erigeron canadensis; a complex isolated from the flowering parts of this plant was tested for airway defense reflexes, particularly cough reflexes and airway reactivity. Both were experimentally induced by a chemical irritant that simulated the inflammatory conditions that induce cough and reactivity..
The polyphenolic polysaccharide-protein complex (PPP) was isolated from the flowering parts of Erigeron canadensis by hot alkaline extraction and a multistage purification process. The antitussive activity was confirmed by decreasing the number of coughing fits induced by citric acid, and the bronchodilator effect was verified by measuring the decrease in specific airway resistance (sRaw) in conscious guinea pigs.
The results
Arabinogalactan and 4-O-Me-glucuronoxylan were found to be the main polysaccharides in the Erigeron complex. Using a chemically induced reflex cough method and a guinea pig test system, the Erigeron complex showed statistically significant and dose-dependent antitussive activity, similar to that of the centrally acting opioid agonist codeine.The suppressive effect of Erigeron on the experimentally induced cough , significant and dose-dependent, indicates its marked antitussive activity and thus an interesting pharmacodynamic effect, independent of bronchodilator activity. The significant antitussive effect identified broadens the range of biological activities of this plant and places it among the most active. Complexes isolated from E. canadensis and other medicinal plants have been found to have similar chemical composition and comparable indications in traditional medicine-recommended for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including airway inflammation, with marked antibacterial, immunomodulatory, antiviral and antioxidant effects.
Reference
Martina Šutovská, Michaela Kocmálová, Jozef Mažerik, Izabela Pawlaczyk-Graja, Roman Gancarz, Peter Capek. Chemical characteristics and significant antitussive effect of the Erigeron canadensis polyphenolic polysaccharide-protein complex. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 284, 2022, 114754, ISSN 0378-8741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114754
