The Ulutas Medical Journal p-ISSN 2149-0430 e-ISSN 2149-388X

The Ulutas Medical Journal · ISSN 2149-0430 (print), 2149-388X (online) · https://www.ulutasmedicaljournal.com/?mno=70330

Review Article · Open access

Efficacy of Medicinal Plants for Reducing the Symptoms of Psoriasis: A Review Article

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  1. Department of Pharmacognosy, Riphah International University 7th Avenue, Block G 7 4 1548 ROR
  2. Islamabad, Pakistan
  3. Assoc Prof of Pathology, Al Nafees Medical College and Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan
  4. Department of Pharmacognosy, Riphah International University 7th Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan ROR
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Abstract

Psoriasis is a common skin disease which is characterized by plaques and patches on the skin. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that involves T helper cells in the pathogenesis of the disease. Treatment of psoriasis is long term and not completely cures the disease. Plants have been extensively used in the treatment of different diseases so plants with anti-psoriatic activity have also been investigated. Results showed that Polypodium Decumanum, Wrightia Tinctoria, Cassia Tora and Givotia Rottleriformis Griff have significant activity in relieving symptoms of psoriasis.

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Introduction

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving plaques and scales on the skin that cause functional impairment. Data suggested that 2% of the world population is suffering from psoriasis involving a 5% prevalence in the western population (1). Psoriasis is also known as an autoimmune disease because the pathogenesis of psoriasis supports the involvement of helper T-cells (Th1, Th2 and Th17) found in lesions (2). Risk factors in women include adiposity and weight gain (3). Long term untreated psoriasis leads to psychiatric complications like depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Psychiatric complications may affect the response of patients to psoriatic treatments with a negative impact (4). Younger patients with mild to severe psoriasis have the highest risk of getting Myocardial infarction (5). Children suffering from pustular psoriasis with eruptions of pustules on an erythematous base experience renal failure and cholestatic jaundice as a result of treatment which also increases the risks of lymphoma (6). The prevalence of psoriasis is more in young females with lesser chances in young males and very less in people with old age (7).

Literature Review

Medicinal plants for the management of psoriasis Plants have been used for centuries for treatment and even today researchers are depending more on plants as medicines because of lesser side effects (8).

Polypodium Decumanum

It is a fern of the Polypodiaceae family and efficiently used for treating various skin diseases like psoriasis and contains various polyphenols which have antioxidant and photo-protecting role (9). Psoriatic lesions contain a high amount of the inflammatory mediators leukotriene B4 (LTB4) which is efficiently inhibited by polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids found in polypodium Decumanum. Crude methanolic extracts of Polypodium Decumanum exhibited better antipsoriatic activity. The stock solution of LTB4 Ionophore was prepared in ethanol and added in methanolic extracts of Polypodium Decumanum as a test and in sulfasalazine as the positive control. Human leukocytes were collected after centrifugation with 2% dextran T-500 and 0.9% Nacl for 30 min at 4°c and erythrocytes were lysed by using ca and mg free buffer. LTB4 and extract of calaguala were incubated at 37°c and LTB4 than purified and analyzed by using HPLC to detect inhibition of LTB4. Results showed that LTB4 was inhibited by free unsaturated fatty acids in the extract of Polypodium Decumanum at a concentration of 130 ųg/ml (10).

Wrightia tinctoria

Extensively used plant Wrightia tinctoria from family Apocynaceae is the lesser-known plant in Indian literature of medicine system (11). But it has moderate analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity at 1000 mg/kg dose (12). The herbal extract of Wrightia tinctoria was prepared and quality control parameters were also analyzed by HPLC. After extraction and standardization, 12g of seed powder was induced in patients diagnosed with psoriasis. Standardized extract of Wrightia tinctoria significantly reduced parameters of psoriasis such as scaling, itching, and psoriasis area by inducing emesis (13).

Cassia Tora

Senna Tora from family Fabaceae have been extensively investigated due to anthraquinone and naphthopyrone components of this plant (14). Senna Tora is effective in psoriasis and also possess anti-microbial activity in the form of an aqueous paste of seeds (15). Powdered extract of cassia tora leaves was prepared in ethanol by the Soxhlet apparatus and concentrated in a rotary evaporator. Flavanoids were eluted by using TLC and UV. Three compounds luteolin- 7-O-β-glucopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronide and ormononetin-7-O-glucoside were analyzed through UV. Compounds 1, 2, 3 showed remarkable thickness in epidermal by influencing hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. Crude extract of Cassia tora and its flavonoids have the potential to be used as antipsoriatic agents (16).

Givotia rottleriformis Griff

Givotia rottleri-formis belongs to the Euphor biaceae family is a plant that is rich in phenolic compounds like gallic acid and methyl gallate. Both compounds inhibit COX1 and COX2 enzymes efficiently through anti-proliferative effects (17). Extract of powdered barks of Givotia rottleriformis in ethanol was prepared which was screened by UV and HPLC. It is then introduced into rats in which psoriasis was induced. After two weeks of extract administration, the histological examination of rats was carried out. Results showed that the ethanolic extract of Givotia rottleriformis Griff exerts anti-psoriatic activity by inhibiting the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes (18).

Psoriasis significantly affects health-related quality of life which may lead to long-term health impairments like cardiovascular diseases, renal impairment and even psychiatric complications. Treatment of psoriasis is long term and not completely cures the disease instead it helps in relieving symptoms of the disease. One of the important factors that should be properly addressed is adherence to treatment. Plants have been used in treatments for centuries so there should be more need to develop more plants with anti-psoriatic activity with lesser side effects. Herbal and crude extracts of plants significantly relieve symptoms of psoriasis which provides evidence in future psoriasis that will be completely curable with minimum side effects and improved impact on health-related quality of life.

Conclusions

It is concluded from the current review article that Givotia rottleriformis Griff, Polypodium Decumanum, Wrightia tinctoria and Cassia Tora have significant activity in relieving symptoms of psoriasis.

Recommendations

The management by using extracts of Polypodium Decumanum, Wrightia tinctoria, Cassia Tora and Givotia rottleriformis Griff, can be helpful to treat Psoriasis.

Declarations

Author contributions (CRediT)
All authors contributed equally to all 14 CRediT roles (Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing).
Funding

Funding information was not reported in the published version of this article.

Conflicts of interest
The authors have declared no conflict of interest for the present article.
Ethics approval
Ethics committee approval was not required for this article, as it is based on previously published literature and does not involve human participants, patient data or animals.
Data availability
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.

References (18)

11 of 18 references are linked to their DOI.

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How to cite this article

Ahsan A, Zafar H, Naureen H, Anum K, Afridi K. Efficacy of Medicinal Plants for Reducing the Symptoms of Psoriasis: A Review Article. Ulutas Med J. 2020;6(1):1-4. doi:10.5455/umj.20201020101533

Ahsan, A., Zafar, H., Naureen, H., Anum, K., & Afridi, K. (2020). Efficacy of Medicinal Plants for Reducing the Symptoms of Psoriasis: A Review Article. The Ulutas Medical Journal, 6(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.5455/umj.20201020101533

Ahsan, A. et al. (2020) 'Efficacy of Medicinal Plants for Reducing the Symptoms of Psoriasis: A Review Article', The Ulutas Medical Journal, 6(1), pp. 1–4. doi: 10.5455/umj.20201020101533.

@article{umj70330,
  title = {Efficacy of Medicinal Plants for Reducing the Symptoms of Psoriasis: A Review Article},
  author = {Ahsan, Aitazaz and Zafar, Humaira and Naureen, Humaira and Anum, Kamil and Afridi, Kamran},
  journal = {The Ulutas Medical Journal},
  year = {2020},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1--4},
  doi = {10.5455/umj.20201020101533},
  url = {https://www.ulutasmedicaljournal.com/?mno=70330},
  issn = {2149-388X}
}
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