Wiad Parazytol 1979;25(1):77-81 (Published in Polish) Schumacher A Friedberg KD [The effect of Echinacea angustifolia on non-specific cellular immunity in the mouse]

Arzneimittelforschung 1991 Feb;41(2):141-7 (Published in German)

Echinacea belongs to the most usable plants in medical treatment since many years. It is applicable in the fields of homoepathy and allopathy, however, there are many different ways of treatment. Two species are listed in the European Pharmacopoea: Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea. They differ in morphology and their chemical composition. There have been chemical and biological analyses of Echinacea for about 80 years. After exact investigations of these reports, the following result were found: Most chemical analyses were done with Echinacea angustifolia, especially the older ones, whereas biological activity was tested with Echinacea purpurea. In almost all of these experiments, proprietaries were preferred to use in contrast to any plant extracts. Most of the reports, which declared the stimulating biological activity of Echinacea could not resist any critical opinion. So the frequency of medical application of this drug is mainly due to delivered practical knowledge. The experiments described in this study were practised with a water- soluble plant extract of Echinacea angustifolia. Echinacosid one of its low-molecular compounds and proprietaries which contains this plant. Their influence on the unspecified cellular immunity of the mouse after intraperitoneal, intravenous or peroral application was investigated. Under various conditions no effects on the immuno system could be found using the carbon clearance test. Stimpel M Proksch A Wagner H Lohmann-Matthes ML Macrophage activation and induction of macrophage cytotoxicity by purified polysaccharide fractions from the plant Echinacea purpurea.

Infect Immun 1984 Dec;46(3):845-9

Purified polysaccharides (EPS) prepared from the plant Echinacea purpurea are shown to strongly activate macrophages. Macrophages activated with these substances develop pronounced extracellular cytotoxicity against tumor targets. The activation is brought about by EPS alone and is independent of any cooperative effect with lymphocytes. Also the production and secretion of oxygen radicals and interleukin 1 by macrophages is increased after activation with EPS. Cells of the macrophages lineage seem to be the main target for the action of these polysaccharides. EPS has no effect on T lymphocytes. B lymphocytes show a comparatively modest proliferation after incubation with E. purpurea EPS. Thus, these compounds, which are at least in tissue culture completely nontoxic, may be suited to activate in vivo cells of the macrophage system to cytotoxicity. They may therefore be of relevance in tumor and infectious systems. Tragni E Galli CL Tubaro A Del Negro P Della Loggia R Anti-inflammatory activity of Echinacea angustifolia fractions separated on the basis of molecular weight.

Pharmacol Res Commun 1988 Dec;20 Suppl 5:87-90

Five fractions of an aqueous extract obtained from the roots of Echinacea angustifolia were separated on the basis of molecular weight. The topical anti-inflammatory activity of the fractions has been evaluated in mice using the Croton oil ear test. The fraction with a molecular weight between 30, 000 and 100, 000 was the most active in inhibiting the oedema; it also reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells. The activity of this fraction was comparable with that of a raw polysaccharidic extract obtained from E. angustifolia roots by differential solubility. The high-molecular weight polysaccharides are therefore proposed as the anti-inflammatory principles of the plant. Tubaro A Tragni E Del Negro P Galli CL Della Loggia R Anti-inflammatory activity of a polysaccharidic fraction of Echinacea angustifolia.