INTRODUCTION. Currently, herbal medicines are
gaining popularity and are used both in the treatment and
prevention of various diseases [1, 2]. This may be due
to the fact that herbal medicines have a low toxicity at a
suffi ciently high effi ciency, a wide range of therapeutic
effects, a complex effect on the human body with their
rational use. They are and also relatively cheap in
comparison with synthetic drugs [3].
Currently, cardiovascular diseases remain the most
important social and medical problem in many countries.
Thus, according to the World Health Organization,
cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause for death
in the world, so the problems of prevention and timely
treatment of this pathology acquire special urgency [4,
5]. In this regard, the drugs based on hawthorn, are of
great interest [6, 7].
The reparations based on hawthorn have been used
in folk medicine for a long time. The fi rst mention of the
positive effect of hawthorn on the heart refers to the fi rst
century of our era [8]. The use of hawthorn for treatment
of cardiovascular diseases dates back to the late 1800s,
when hawthorn was supposed to be used as an alternative
therapy for the treatment of various cardiovascular
diseases such as angina, hypertension, hyperlipidemia,
arrhythmia, etc. [9].
The authors describe the studies on the reduction
of the cholesterol level and triglycerides in the blood of
animals while using hawthorn raw materials [10, 11].
The studies on rats, mice, rabbits and cats have shown
that hawthorn extract can slowly and steadily reduce
blood pressure by expanding peripheral vessels [12, 13].
As for hawthorn raw materials, some authors also
notify the presence of antibacterial activity against
a number of microorganisms, in particular against
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa and Candida albicans [14, 15].
In addition, some sources describe the antioxidant
effect of extracts from hawthorn raw materials [16, 17,
18]. Currently hawthorn attracts the attention of doctors
and researchers by its cardiotonic and cardioprotective
properties, which is confi rmed by numerous clinical
studies [19]. Thus, in 2003 a meta-analysis of randomized
placebo-controlled studies of hawthorn extract (Crataegus
pinnatifi da Bunge) for treatment of patients with chronic
heart failure showed the presence of a cardiovascular
benefi t compared with placebo [20]. A group of Chinese
scientists in 2014 published a randomized, double-blind
study of the use of multicomponent herbal preparation
based on hawthorn in the treatment of dyslipidemia. As
a result of the conducted research it was found out that
this herbal preparation caused a slight decrease in plasma
levels of low-density lipoproteins after a 12-week course
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Pharmacy & Pharmacology V. 6 N 2, 2018
DOI:10.19163/2307-9266-2018-6-2-104-120
of treatment, without causing undesirable phenomena
[21]. In 2015, a group of Iranian scientists conducted
a comparative study of the effects of aerobic exercise
and the use of hawthorn extract (Crataegus oxyacantha
L.) on intracellular adhesion molecules of Type 1 and
E-selectin in patients with stable angina. As a result,
it was concluded that aerobic exercises and the use of
Crataegus oxyacantha L. as additional therapy effectively
reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis and further
problems connected with the cardiovascular system [22].
It is also interesting that there was a study published
in 2016, in the course of which it was concluded that
hawthorn leaf extract (Crataegus azarolus L.) stimulates
antiproliferative activity, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis
in human colon cancer cells HT-29 and HCT-116 [23].
In the Russian Federation, hawthorn fl owers and
fruits (Crataegus L.) are used to obtain cardiotonic
medicinal drugs [24, 25]. Abroad, medicines on the basis
of hawthorn leaves and fl owers have got widely spread
[26, 27, 28].
On the territory of our country there are about 40
species of wild-growing hawthorns [29, 30]. Of the
12 species of hawthorn included into the current State
Pharmacopoeia of the USSR, XI-th edition (GF USSR
XI), 9 grow on the territory of the Russian Federation,
and the fruits and fl owers are the pharmacopoeial species
of hawthorn raw materials in Russia [24, 25]. At the
moment the quality of raw materials is regulated by the
State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR of the XI-th edition,
as the discussed types of hawthorn raw materials are not
included into the current State Pharmacopoeia of the
Russian Federation of the XIII-th edition [31, 32, 33].
The United States Pharmacopeia of the 32-nd edition
describes hawthorn raw materials, representing leaves
with fl owers collected from the species Crataegus
monogyna Jacq. or Crataegus laevigata (Poir .) DC., also
known as Crataegus oxyacantha L [27].
The European Pharmacopoeia (the 8-th edition)
refers to the medicinal hawthorn raw materials the fruits
of such species as Crataegus monogyna Jacq (Lindm.),
C. laevigata (Poir.) (a synonym for C. oxyacantha L.)
and leaves with fl owers of Crataegus monogyna Jacq.
(Lindm.) or C. laevigata (Poir.) DC. (synonyms for C.
oxyacanthoides Thuill, C. oxyacantha auct.) and other
European hawthorn species, including C. pentagyna
Waldst., C. nigra Waldst. and C. azarolus L [26].
The Belarusian Pharmacopoeia includes articles
from the European Pharmacopoeia on fruits, leaves with
fl owers, as well as some specifi c articles on hawthorn
fl owers and leaves.
The leaves of Crataegus sanguinea Pall. and C.
laevigata (Poir) DC. (synonym of C. oxyacantha sensu
Pojark.) and the fl owers of 14 species of hawthorn,
including Crataegus sanguinea Pall.; C. Laevigata
(Poir) DC., C. korolkowii L. Henry; C. altaica (Loud.)
Lange and others are considered to be included into
Pharmacopoeia
[28]. The Pharmacopoeia of the Republic
of Kazakhstan refers fruits of Crataegus monogyna
Jacq. or Crataegus laevigata (Poir.) DC. (synonym for
Crataegus oxyacantha L.) to medicinal raw materials
[34].
According to the literature data, hawthorn leaves,
fl owers and fruits are known to contain a lot of
biofl avonoids, which seem to be primarily responsible
for the cardiotonic action of the plant, leading to the
development and use of extracts from the hawthorn
leaves and fl owers in European countries. Biofl avonoids
found in hawthorn include oligomeric procyanidins,
vitexin, quercetin and hyperoside. The hawthorn raw
materias also contain vitamin C, saponins, tannins,
cardiotonic amines (phenylethylamine, tyramine,
isobutylamine, O-methoxyphenylethylamine, choline
and acetylcholine), purine derivatives (adenosine,
adenine, guanine, caffeine, amygdalin), triterpenic acids
(ursolic acid) [35, 36, 37, 38, 39].
As a result of the research conducted by a group of
Samara scientists, the dominant fl avonoid vitexin was
isolated from the fruits of hawthorn, and the hyperoside
– from the hawthorn fl owers [40].
THE AIM of the work is to analyze and systematize
the research results in the fi eld of chemical standardization
of hawthorn raw materials in pharmacopoeias of different
countries.
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