Supplementation with lemon verbena extracts may affect the cytokine profile in patients with multiple sclerosis. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Effects of dietary supplementation with lemon verbena extracts on serum inflammatory markers of multiple sclerosis patients.
Nutr Hosp. 2015 ;31(2):764-71. Epub 2014 Nov 4. PMID: 25617561
Elba Mauriz
INTRODUCTION: Inflammation is one of the main contributory factors to the etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Dietary interventions with Lipia citriadora (lemon verbena) extracts have been proved to be effective in the prevention of inflammatory diseases.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of lemon verbena supplementation in pro- and anti- inflammatory serum biomarkers of patients with different clinical subtypes of multiple sclerosis.
METHODS: The effect of lemon verbena supplementation (10% w/w verbascoside) was evaluated in a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study with 30 participants classified in relapsing-remitting (n=10), primary progressive (n=5) and secondary progressive (n=15) MS presentations. Serum cytokine and C reactive protein levels were assessed in intervention and control groups for each MS clinical subtype after 28 days of dietary supplementation.
RESULTS: Serum levels of C reactive protein and 8 cytokines/ inflammatory (IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-23, IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-β, IL-4 and IL-10) markers were studied. Secondary progressive MS- supplemented patients showed C reactive protein concentrations significantly lower compared to the placebo group (p.