PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain

UCI study also shows novel analgesic to be nonaddictive

2014-01-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Tom Vasich
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455
University of California - Irvine
Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain UCI study also shows novel analgesic to be nonaddictive Irvine, Calif., Jan. 2, 2014 — A compound derived from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been found effective at alleviating pain, pointing the way to a new nonaddictive analgesic for acute inflammatory and nerve pain, according to UC Irvine pharmacology researchers.

Working with Chinese scientists, Olivier Civelli and his UC Irvine colleagues isolated a compound called dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) from the roots of the Corydalis yanhusuo plant. In tests on rodents, DHCB proved to diminish both inflammatory pain, which is associated with tissue damage and the infiltration of immune cells, and injury-induced neuropathic pain, which is caused by damage to the nervous system. This is important because there are no current adequate treatments for neuropathic pain.

Moreover, the researchers found that DHCB did not generate the tolerance seen with continued use of most conventional pain relievers, such as morphine.

"Today the pharmaceutical industry struggles to find new drugs. Yet for centuries people have used herbal remedies to address myriad health conditions, including pain. Our objective was to identify compounds in these herbal remedies that may help us discover new ways to treat health problems," said Civelli, the Eric L. & Lila D. Nelson Chair in Neuropharmacology. "We're excited that this one shows promise as an effective pharmaceutical. It also shows a different way to understand the pain mechanism."

Study results appear in the Jan. 20 issue of Current Biology.

They are the product of a collaboration between two teams separated by the Pacific Ocean. As traditional Chinese medicine gains greater acceptance in Western medical practice, Xinmiao Liang at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China and his group have been working to create an "herbalome" of all the compounds in plant extracts that display pharmacological properties. The UC Irvine team suggested applying "reverse pharmacology" – a novel drug discovery approach that Civelli devised about 25 years ago – to the herbalome project.

Together they screened 10 traditional Chinese medicines known as analgesics, testing nearly 500 compounds for their pain-relief abilities. Only DHCB in corydalis induced a reproducible effect.

Corydalis is a flowering herbal plant that grows in Siberia, Northern China and Japan. People utilize its root extract to alleviate menstrual cramps, chest pain and abdominal pain. It's been previously studied for its analgesic properties, but this is the first time DHCB has been identified, extracted and tested.

Chronic neuropathic pain affects more than 50 million Americans, yet management of this pain remains a major clinical challenge due to the poor results and severe side effects of conventional analgesics. Civelli said that drawing upon traditional Chinese medical-herbal products could lead to a breakthrough treatment for these patients.

DHCB needs to be evaluated for any toxicity before it can be developed as a drug. It's also possible that if the compound is chemically modified, a more potent pharmaceutical may be found. While DHCB is not currently available, it is part of the Corydalis yanhusuo root or extracts that can be purchased in health stores or online.

### Yan Zhang, Lien Wang, Gregory Scott Parks, Kang-Wu Li, Mi Kyeong Kim, Benjamin Vo, Emiliana Borrelli, Zhiwei Wang, M. Julia Garcia-Fuster and Z. David Luo of UC Irvine; Chaoran Wang, Xiuli Zhang, Zhimou Guo, Guangbo Ge and Ling Yang of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China; and Yanxiong Ke of the East China University of Science & Technology also contributed to the study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants MH60231 and DA024746), the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression (now the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation), the Tourette Syndrome Association, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National High-Tech Research & Development Program of China.

About the University of California, Irvine: Located in coastal Orange County, near a thriving employment hub in one of the nation's safest cities, UC Irvine was founded in 1965. One of only 62 members of the Association of American Universities, it's ranked first among U.S. universities under 50 years old by the London-based Times Higher Education. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $4.3 billion annually to the local economy.

Media access: UC Irvine maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media at today.uci.edu/resources/experts.php. Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists. Contact: Tom Vasich
949-824-6455
tmvasich@uci.edu


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The mouse that ROR'ed

2014-01-02
The mouse that ROR'ed ROR1 oncogene combines with another to accelerate, worsen blood cancer Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that an oncogene dubbed ROR1, found on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells ...

New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion

2014-01-02
New MRI technique illuminates the wrist in motion (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a movie is worth far more, especially when it comes to diagnosing wrist problems. UC Davis radiologists, medical physicists ...

Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents

2014-01-02
Virginia Tech researchers find novice teen drivers easily fall into distraction, accidents Cell phones, other distractions pose greater threat to teen drivers Teens may begin their driving habits with great caution, but as months behind the wheel pass, they begin to multi-task ...

Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice

2014-01-02
Novel noninvasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice Injectable therapy could help people avoid mastectomy BOSTON – A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast ...

Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights

2014-01-02
Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links ...

Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill

2014-01-02
Alcohol, tobacco, drug use far higher in severely mentally ill In the largest ever assessment of substance use among people with severe psychiatric illness, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Southern ...

Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths

2014-01-02
Tripling tobacco taxes worldwide would avoid 200 million tobacco deaths Controlling tobacco marketing is also key to helping people quit smoking TORONTO, Jan. 2, 2014—Tripling taxes on cigarettes around the world would reduce the number of smokers by one-third ...

US global share of research spending declines

2014-01-02
US global share of research spending declines New analysis shows Asia gaining, due to increased support from both government, industry ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The United States' global share of biomedical research spending fell from 51 percent in 2007 ...

Drivers engaged in other tasks about 10 percent of the time

2014-01-02
Drivers engaged in other tasks about 10 percent of the time NIH, Virginia Tech study shows crash risks greatest for teens Drivers eat, reach for the phone, text, or otherwise take their eyes off the road about 10 percent of the time ...

High blood pressure potentially more dangerous for women than men

2014-01-02
High blood pressure potentially more dangerous for women than men WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jan. 2, 2014 – Doctors may need to treat high blood pressure in women earlier and more aggressively than they do in men, according to scientists at Wake Forest ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

[Press-News.org] Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain
UCI study also shows novel analgesic to be nonaddictive