The National Institutes of Health has cleared a $6 million grant to set up a center to study red grapes, ginseng and hemp, plants used in Ayurveda and other systems, for their medicinal value.
Dr Prakash Nagarkatti, an associate dean and health sciences distinguished professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, and his wife Dr Mitzi Nagarkatti, professor and chair of the department of pathology, microbiology and immunology, and deputy director, South Carolina Cancer Center, is to lead the research to study the effect of these plants on such autoimmune and inflammatory disease such as arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.
Dr Nagarkatti, the principal investigator for the grant, is to serve as the director of the Center of Excellence for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research on Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease, created using the grant.
Dr Lorne Hofseth, from the College of Pharmacy, is to study the anti-inflammatory properties of American ginseng in treating colitis and colon cancer.
Dr Narendra Singh, research assistant professor, is to study the toxicity and anti-inflammatory properties of plant products on the immune system.
"Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming popular in the West, including the US. People are seeking such therapies against diseases in which there is no cure and the pain and suffering cannot be relieved by conventional therapies. Such diseases include arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis," Dr Prakash Nagarkatti said. "There is ample evidence to show that Ayurvedic and herbal medicines are very effective against such ailments. That is how we got interested in testing if specific plant products have compounds that are anti-inflammatory."
"One day, a compound in red grapes may be just what the doctor orders to treat multiple sclerosis. Colitis may be treated with American ginseng, and a compound from hemp oil could treat autoimmune hepatitis," he said.
The Nagarkattis became interested in investigating the plant products for their anti-inflammatory properties because of their exposure to Ayurvedic medicine, which has argued that several plant products are effective against arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. The team plans to collaborate with scientists from India to test a large number of plant extracts for their anti-inflammatory properties and study their mode of action.
It hopes to unravel the secrets of ancient medicine practiced in India and develop better drugs.
Currently, UCLA and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine are the only other centers funded for such research by NIH this year.
"Research to explore the benefits and risks of alternative and complementary medicine is vital because Americans spend billions of dollars each year on treatments and products outside conventional medicine," Dr Prakash Nagarkatti noted.
The research on resveratrol found in red grapes and red wine may solve the mystery about the French Paradox (the fact that French people have a low incidence of heart disease despite their diet being rich in saturated fats). It is presumed that this is a result of the French consuming more red wine.
"Recent studies in animals showed that resveratrol can increase the life span and thus it has the potential to be considered as an anti-aging drug. Resveratrol is found in high concentrations in the skin and seeds of red grapes, particularly muscadine grapes," Dr Prakash Nagarkatti said.
"Several companies therefore introduced resveratrol into the market as a nutraceutical. More clinical trials are necessary before the real benefits and the safe dose can be evaluated in humans," he noted.
The Nagarkattis joined the School of Medicine faculty two years ago, moving from the Medical College of Virginia, where they established a national and international reputation for immunology research.
In addition to this grant, their research is also funded by 5 additional NIH grants which provide over $1.5 million a year to investigate how immune response can be boosted to help treat cancer.
The center will also include an immunotoxicology team, led by Dr Narendra Singh and Dr Robert Price from the School of Medicine, that is to study the toxicity of plant products on the immune system.