Echinops echinatus

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Echinops echinatus

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Cynareae
Genus:	Echinops
Species:	E. echinatus
Binomial name
*Echinops echinatus* Roxb.

Echinops echinatus, Indian globe thistle, is a species of globe thistle, found in India Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.Indian Globe Thistle is an erect branched herb about a meter high. It has short, stout stems, branching from the base, covered with white cottony hair. Alternately arranged oblong, deeply pinnatifid leaves are 7–12 cm long. Flower-heads occur in solitary white spherical balls, 3–5 cm across. Petals of the tiny white flowers are 5 mm long. Flowers are surrounded by straight, strong, white bristles.

Common Names

• Indian Globe Thistle 
• Hindi: Utakatira, Oontkateli, Gokhru 
• Marathi: Utkatar, Kate-chendu 
• Telugu: Brahmadandi 
• Kannada: Brahmadande 
• Urdu: Untkatara 
• Gujarati: Utkanto, Shuliyo 
• Sinhala: alipohottu?, brahmadanda ? (doubtful)

Flowering

From December to January.

Anti-inflammatory activity

Anti-inflammatory studies were conducted on an ethanol extract of Echinops echinatus whole plant. The extract effectively inhibited the acute inflammation induced in rats by carrageenan, formaldehyde and adjuvant and the chronic arthritis induced by formaldehyde and adjuvant. The extract was more effective parenterally than orally. The toxicity studies showed reasonable safety warranting further studies.

Chemistry

2',5,7- trihydroxy-3.6-dimethoxy flavone-7-O-b-D-galactopyranosyl-[1®4]-O-a-L-rhamnopyranoside is reported from the seeds of Echinops echinatus. 7-hydroxyisoflavone, kaempferol-4'-methylether, kaempferol-7-methylether, myricetin-3-O-a-L-rhamnoside, kaempferol and kaempferol-3-O-a-L-rhamnoside, are reported from the whole plant of Echinops echinatus.

An antiinflammatory active flavanone glycoside 5,7-dihydroxy-8,4'-dimethoxyflavanone-5-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-7-O-b-D-arabinopyranosyl-(1®4)-O-b-D-glucopyranoside A along with a known compound dihydroquercetin-4'-Me ether is also reported from the leaves of Echinops echinatus.

Apigenin, apigenin 7-O-glucoside, and a new acylflavone glucoside named echitin (I) were isolated from Echinops echinatus flowers.

Medicinal value

In traditional medicine most of the diseases have been treated by administration of plant or plant product. Echinops echinatus Roxb. is the useful traditional medicinal plant in India. Each part has some medicinal property. During the last five decades, apart from the chemistry of the Echinops echinatus Roxb. compounds, considerable progress has been achieved regarding the biological activity and medicinal applications of Echinops echinatus Roxb. It is now considered as a valuable source of unique natural products for development of medicines against various diseases and also for the development of industrial products. This review gives a bird’s eye view mainly on the biological activities of the Echinops echinatus Roxb. and some of their compounds isolated, pharmacological actions of the Echinops echinatus Roxb. extracts, clinical studies and plausible medicinal applications of Echinops echinatus Roxb. along with their safety evaluation.

Effects on testosterone

Echinops echinatus is one of the plants marketed as ‘Brahmadandi’ in India. Brahmadandi has the reputation of a potent aphrodisiac and hence it should have an androgenic mode of action. Previous reports on E. echinatus suggest an antiandrogenic action for the plant. The present study was undertaken to find out whether E. echinatus can be used as clinically effective medicine for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) where antiandrogenic agents are useful. In In vitro studies were conducted to assess the 5a-reductase inhibitory potential of E. echinatus. This was followed by in vivo studies on the potent extracts. Testosterone (3 mg kg−1, s.c.) was administered to the rats along with the test extracts (50 and 100 mg kg−1, p.o.) for a period of 28 days. Finasteride was used as positive control (1 mg kg−1, p.o.). Results were E. echinatus extracts attenuated the increase in the prostatic/body weight ratio induced by testosterone. Butanolic fraction of ethanolic extract exhibited the best activity. Testosterone levels measured weekly and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels measured at the end of the study support our postulations. Further histological studies have shown a considerable improvement in the prostatic histoarchitecture in the extract-treated groups when compared with testosterone treated group.

References

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