Journal of Pharmacopuncture最新文献

{"title":"<i>Acorus gramineus</i> Solander Preserves Corneal Epithelial Barrier Integrity against PM_2.5-Induced EMT-Like Remodeling via Suppression of TGF-β/Smad Signaling.","authors":"Min Yeong Kim, Su Hyun Hong, Yung Hyun Choi","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.314","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.314","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate the effects of particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) on corneal epithelial barrier integrity and to examine the protective potential of <i>Acorus gramineus</i> Solander root extract (AGS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Human corneal epithelial cells (hCECs) were cultured as three-dimensional spheroids and exposed to PM_2.5 with or without AGS treatment. Barrier function, tight junction (TJ) integrity, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers, inflammatory mediators, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/Smad signaling were analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PM_2.5 induced structural instability of hCEC spheroids without substantial cytotoxicity, accompanied by decreased transepithelial electrical resistance and disruption of TJ proteins such as zonula occludens (ZO)-1, ZO-3, and occludin. These alterations coincided with EMT-like remodeling, characterized by the upregulation of N-cadherin and vimentin, increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases, and elevated production of inflammatory cytokines. These effects were associated with the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway activation. AGS restored barrier integrity, suppressed EMT-like remodeling and inflammation, and inhibited TGF-β/Smad pathway activation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PM_2.5 impairs corneal epithelial barrier function through EMT-related and inflammatory mechanisms. AGS exerts protective effects by preserving TJ integrity and suppressing TGF-β/Smad signaling, suggesting its therapeutic potential against air pollution-induced ocular surface damage.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"314-324"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620394/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Acupuncture at ST36 and SP6 on Activity Levels and Pain Thresholds Through Interleukin-1, Interleukin-6, Cortisol, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 Modulation in an Osteoarthritis Rat Model.","authors":"Mayang Wulandari, Kusworini Handono, Husnul Khotimah, Laily Yuliatun","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.286","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.286","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation, inflammation, and altered stress-related responses. This preclinical study examined the effects of acupuncture at ST36 (stomach 36), SP6 (spleen 6), and their combination on pain thresholds, locomotor function, and inflammation and stress-related biomarkers in a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA rat model.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups a healthy control, an OA control, and three acupuncture-treated groups (ST36, SP6, and ST36 + SP6). Acupuncture-treated groups underwent eight 15-min sessions of acupuncture per day. Pain thresholds and locomotor activity were assessed before and after treatment. Joint tissue was analyzed for interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, cortisol, and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) levels. Group differences were analyzed using appropriate parametric or nonparametric tests, and the associations between biomarkers and behavioral outcomes were assessed using Pearson correlation analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The acupuncture-treated rats showed increased pain thresholds (~5.3 g to 9.93-11.60 g, p < 0.05) and higher locomotor activity compared with those in the OA controls. IL-1, IL-6, cortisol, and MMP-13 levels were reduced from pretreatment levels in all acupuncture groups. Biomarker levels were negatively correlated with pain thresholds (r = -0.526 to -0.686) and locomotor activity (r = -0.537 to -0.893; all p < 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In rats with MIA-induced OA, acupuncture was associated with improved pain thresholds and locomotor outcomes and changes in inflammation and stress-related biomarker levels, providing exploratory preclinical evidence linking biomarker modulation with functional responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"286-296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620396/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Herbal and Natural Products for NSAID-Induced Small Intestinal Injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.","authors":"Ji Hye Hwang, You-Kyung Choi","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.259","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.259","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, are widely used medications that frequently cause small intestinal injury (enteropathy). Conventional proton pump inhibitors do not prevent this injury and may exacerbate it through dysbiosis. Herbal medicines and natural products offer potential therapeutic benefits, but synthesized clinical evidence remains limited. Thus, this study will systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines and natural products for preventing NSAID-induced small intestinal injury.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be searched to identify articles published since inception, without restrictions on publication date or language. Randomized controlled trials involving adults aged ≥ 18 years receiving NSAIDs will be included. Two reviewers will independently perform study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the RoB 2 tool. If appropriate, a meta-analysis will be conducted. The primary outcome will be mucosal injury, objectively assessed using video capsule endoscopy or measures of intestinal permeability. Secondary outcomes will include symptoms and adverse events.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study will synthesize the current clinical evidence on natural interventions for NSAID-induced enteropathy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings will inform the management of small intestinal injury and guide future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"259-265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620395/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy of an Herbal Cream on Patients with Hemorrhoids: a randomized triple-blind controlled trial.","authors":"Mohammad Ebrahim Zohalinezhad, Leila Mohammad Taghizadeh Kashani, Meysam Shirzad, Azam Saffar, Leila Ghahramani, Seyed Nasser Ostad, Mohammad Mahdi Ahmadian-Attari, Saba Barkhori Mehni, Alireza Abbassian, Gholam Reza Sivandzadeh, Mohammad Reza Memarzadeh, Alireza Hatami","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Traditional Persian medicine offers various topical treatments for hemorrhoids. This study investigated the efficacy of an herbal cream (HC) containing common myrtle, chamomile, wild leek, and Russian olive extracts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This randomized triple-blind controlled trial compared the effects of the HC and a conventional cream (CC) on hemorrhoids. Standardization involved measuring the total phenolic content (TPC) and analyzing the HC by gas chromatography. In total, 110 outpatients with hemorrhoids were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 58) and control (n = 52) groups. The outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS [1-10]); anal pain, difficult defecation, and burning sensation) and four-point Likert scale anal bleeding and anal pruritus) during the intervention phase (14 days) and follow-up (28 days).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The HC was safe and well tolerated, with no major adverse effects observed in toxicological or clinical evaluations. Physicochemical assays confirmed the quality parameters, and the TPC was determined. In the clinical trial involving 49 patients, both HC and CC reduced hemorrhoidal symptoms over time (p = 0.011). However, no significant treatment-group effect (p = 0.50) or treatment-by-time interaction (p = 0.77) was observed. Exploratory analyses indicated that the HC produced clinically meaningful reductions in bleeding and anal pain from baseline.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The HC was safe and well tolerated in patients with grade I-II hemorrhoids. Although it did not show statistical superiority over the CC, potentially due to high dropout rates and limited sample size, HC was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in anal bleeding and pain along with favorable changes in other symptoms. These findings suggest that the HC has potential as a safe herbal alternative for hemorrhoid symptom relief, without side effects and an acceptable safety profile.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"297-313"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620397/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined Colon Hydrotherapy and Catgut Embedding at the Fujie (SP14) Acupoint for Treating Slow Transit Constipation: a clinical efficacy and safety study.","authors":"Yu Wang, Jun Xu, Jinrong Zhao, Yongjian Sun, Qixian Yao, Jinhui Gu","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.277","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.277","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Chronic idiopathic constipation, particularly slow transit constipation (STC), affects 2%-4% of the global population. It is characterized by impaired colonic transit and defecation difficulties. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of combining colon hydrotherapy with catgut embedding at the Fujie (SP14) acupoint for treating STC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this single-center, randomized, open-label exploratory trial, 32 adult patients with STC were assigned to a combined group (colon hydrotherapy plus Fujie acupoint catgut embedding; n = 17) or a hydrotherapy group (colon hydrotherapy alone, n = 15). The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the total Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM) score at 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes included PAC-SYM subscale scores, post-treatment colonic transit marker retention, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) scores, and safety outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both groups showed reductions in PAC-SYM scores after treatment. At 4 weeks, the combined group had a lower PAC-SYM total score than the hydrotherapy group (6.59 ± 2.96 vs. 8.81 ± 2.39, p = 0.028). The post-treatment Day-5 marker retention was significantly lower in the combined group than in the hydrotherapy group (4.35 ± 0.61 vs. 5.47 ± 1.13, p < 0.05), whereas the Day-3 between-group difference was not significant. PAC-QOL scores improved in both groups; greater improvements were observed in physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, and dissatisfaction in the combined group. However, because the Worries and Concerns domain differed at baseline, the results were interpreted cautiously. No serious adverse events were observed during the study.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Compared with hydrotherapy alone, combined colon hydrotherapy and Fujie acupoint catgut embedding improved constipation symptoms, selected quality-of-life domains, and post-treatment Day-5 colonic transit outcomes, with no major safety issues observed over the 4-week treatment period. However, larger registered trials with longer follow-up and baseline-adjusted analyses are required to confirm these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"277-285"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620502/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Subthreshold Depression: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.","authors":"Hong Luo, Chengyu Han, Ximei Wang, Yuling Wan, Yunyan Shi, Tianshu Hou, Tingting Ma","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.245","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Subthreshold depression (SD), a precursor stage of depression, has gained considerable interest in recent years. Acupuncture and moxibustion have unique advantages in the treatment of depressive disorders. This systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to evaluate the comparative effects of acupuncture and moxibustion therapies on SD and provide clinical recommendations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eight databases were searched from their inception to January 1, 2026, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture and moxibustion for SD. We included 17 studies with six different therapies. The primary and secondary outcomes were scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D), respectively. A random-effects Bayesian NMA was conducted using the gemtc package in R.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Acupuncture + moxibustion and acupuncture alone were associated with greater reductions in HAMD scores than placebo, no treatment, and Western medicine. In addition, acupuncture + moxibustion showed greater reductions in HAMD scores than acupoint herbal patching and psychological treatment. Acupuncture + moxibustion and moxibustion were associated with greater reductions in CES-D scores than placebo. Acupuncture + moxibustion and acupuncture alone resulted in greater score reductions than no treatment. Among the included therapies, acupuncture + moxibustion therapy was ranked highest in terms of surface under the cumulative ranking curve values for both HAMD (93.56%) and CES-D (96.21%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This Bayesian NMA suggests that acupuncture + moxibustion may have a relatively favorable ranking for improving SD symptoms, providing preliminary evidence to inform future clinical research and practice. However, the generalizability and evidence quality were limited by the single-center, small-sample design of most included studies. Further high-quality RCTs are warranted to validate these findings.Systematic review registration PROSPERO, CRD42023483384 (version 2.0).</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"245-258"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13624367/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149109883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Cornus officinalis</i> Fruit in the Modulation of Aging-Related Cellular Pathways: a short review.","authors":"Yung Hyun Choi","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.266","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.3.266","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fruits of <i>Cornus officinalis</i> Sieb. et Zucc. (Corni Fructus) have a long history of use in East Asian traditional medicine, particularly for managing weakness and age-related functional decline. Recent experimental evidence has suggested that its biological activities correspond to key features of cellular aging. This review summarizes current preclinical findings on the ability of Corni Fructus to modulate biological processes associated with cellular aging, focusing on redox homeostasis, mitochondrial function, inflammatory signaling, and cellular quality control pathways. Corni Fructus contains abundant iridoid glycosides, particularly morroniside and loganin, which are considered to be its primary bioactive compounds. Studies have indicated that these compounds reduce oxidative stress by decreasing excessive reactive oxygen species and enhancing the antioxidant defense systems of the body. Furthermore, Corni Fructus constituents help maintain mitochondrial integrity by stabilizing mitochondrial membrane potential, limiting oxidative stress within mitochondria, and supporting cellular energy metabolism. Modulation of inflammation is another important aspect, as suppression of nuclear factor-kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways has been associated with decreased production of proinflammatory mediators associated with senescence-related secretory phenotypes. Emerging evidence also suggests that Corni Fructus may influence autophagy and mitophagy mechanisms, contributing to cellular stress adaptation. Together, these multitarget actions maintain cellular homeostasis and mitigate key drivers of cellular aging. Although direct evidence linking Corni Fructus to canonical senescence endpoints remains limited, existing findings provide a mechanistic basis for its potential relevance to modulating aging- and senescence-associated cellular processes. Further studies using aging-relevant models and direct senescence measures are necessary to better understand its translational potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 3","pages":"266-276"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13620500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum: Optimizing a Natural Oil-Based Sertaconazole Nitrate Organogel: enhanced antifungal activity through <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> evaluation.","authors":"Piyush Jain, Shashikant Chandrakar, Pushpa Prasad Gupta, Ravindra Kumar Pandey, Bina Gidwani","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.243","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article on p. 367 in vol. 28, PMID: 41477282.].</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 2","pages":"243"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13303450/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy Attenuates Inflammation in CCI-Induced Sciatica by Inhibiting the NF-κB Pathway.","authors":"Wenchong Wang, Yang Zhang, Jiaming Liang, Hanqing Tang","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.174","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of an integrated acupuncture-moxibustion regimen in a rat model of chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced sciatica, with particular emphasis on NF-κB p65 expression and nuclear translocation as activation-related indicators of NF-κB-associated neuroimmune signaling.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A rat CCI model was established and randomly allocated into four experimental groups sham surgery (Sham), untreated CCI (CCI), active drug comparator (Drug), and acupuncture-moxibustion therapy (Acu). Pain-related behavioral alterations were evaluated using thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) and mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) assessments. Histopathological alterations in the sciatic nerve and spinal cord were examined using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, was quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). NF-κB activation-related changes were further evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses focusing on NF-κB p65 expression and nuclear localization.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the CCI group, rats receiving acupuncture-moxibustion therapy demonstrated significant recovery of TWL and MWT values, indicating attenuation of neuropathic pain hypersensitivity. Histological analyses revealed substantial preservation of sciatic nerve and spinal cord architecture following treatment. RT-qPCR and ELISA findings showed marked reductions in proinflammatory cytokine expression and circulating inflammatory mediator levels in the Acu group. Furthermore, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analyses demonstrated significant suppression of NF-κB p65 expression and reduced nuclear translocation following acupuncture-moxibustion intervention.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy effectively ameliorated CCI-induced sciatica and was associated with suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production and attenuation of NF-κB-associated inflammatory signaling, providing mechanistic support for integrative non-pharmacological strategies in neuropathic pain management.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 2","pages":"174-184"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13303567/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>In Vivo</i> Antidiabetic Efficacy of Ethyl Acetate Fractions <i>Cinnamomum tamala</i> (Buch.-Ham.) T. Nees & C. H. Eberm. and <i>Cinnamomum verum</i> J. Presl in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.","authors":"Dhiraj Baishya, Ananta Choudhury","doi":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.202","DOIUrl":"10.3831/KPI.2026.29.2.202","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Diabetes mellitus is a progressive metabolic disorder broadly classified into insulin-deficient (type 1) and insulin-resistant (type 2) forms. Both forms ultimately lead to chronic hyperglycemia and pancreatic dysfunction, posing a major global health burden. Limitations associated with the long-term use of conventional antidiabetic drugs have encouraged investigation of plant-based treatments that may offer safer therapeutic benefits. Although Cinnamon species have traditionally been used to manage metabolic disorders, evidence from solvent-fraction studies demonstrating their antidiabetic efficacy remains limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study evaluated the antidiabetic activity of ethyl acetate fractions obtained from <i>Cinnamomum tamala</i> (Buch.-Ham.) T. Nees & C. H. Eberm. (CT) leaves and <i>Cinnamomum verum</i> J. Presl (CV) bark in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Acute oral toxicity was assessed according to OECD guideline 423. Diabetic rats were treated with the ethyl acetate fractions at doses of 150 and 200 mg/kg body weight for 28 days, with metformin (100 mg/kg) used as the standard drug. Body weight and fasting blood glucose levels were recorded, and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and pancreatic histopathology were used to assess antihyperglycemic efficacy and tissue-protective effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both fractions were safe up to 2,000 mg/kg. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed weight loss, hyperglycemia, impaired glucose metabolism, and pancreatic β-cell damage. Treatment with both fractions dose-dependently lowered fasting blood glucose and improved glucose tolerance. <i>Cinnamomum verum</i> at 200 mg/kg showed significant antihyperglycemic activity, although its effect remained lower than that of metformin. Histopathological findings suggested that high-dose ethyl acetate fractions preserved pancreatic structure and β-cell integrity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The ethyl acetate fractions of <i>Cinnamomum tamala</i> and <i>Cinnamomum verum</i> demonstrated notable antidiabetic effects by improving glycemic control and protecting pancreatic islets in STZ-induced diabetic rats, supporting their traditional use and potential as plant-based therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":16769,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacopuncture","volume":"29 2","pages":"202-211"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13303347/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}