Anise Studies

• Although permethrin lotion is still effective for some people, coconut and anise spray can be a significantly more effective alternative treatment.
• An herbal combination of saffron, celery seed and anise is more effective than the drug mefenamic acid (NSAID) in relieving menstrual pain.
• Anise aqueous suspension possesses significant cytoprotective and anti-ulcer activities against experimentally-induced gastric lesions.
• Anise demonstrates antispasmodic properties consistent with its use in folk medicine.
• Biomolecular screening of Pimpinella anisum for antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity.

Experimental pharmacology

Analgesic and central nervous system activity

Intraperitoneal or intragastric administration of a dried ether extract of the fruits dissolved in normal saline did not potentiate barbiturate induced sleeping time when administered to mice in doses of up to 200.0 mg/kg body weight (bw) .

Antimicrobial activity

A 95% ethanol extract of the fruits, 50 μl/plate, inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in vitro . A dried methanol extract of the fruits inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori in vitro, minimum inhibitory

concentration (MIC) 100.0 μg/ml. A decoction of the fruits did not inhibit the growth of Aspergillus niger, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi or Staphylococcus aureus in vitro at concentrations of up to 62.5 mg/ml . An ethanol extract of the fruits inhibited the growth of Candida albicans, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis,

Microsporum gypseum, Rhodotorula rubra and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, MIC 0.097%, and Geotrichum spp., MIC 1.562%.

Anticonvulsant activity

Intraperitoneal administration of 4.0 mg/kg bw of a dried 95% ethanol extract of the fruits dissolved in normal saline to mice inhibited convulsions induced by supramaximal electroshock. At the same dose, the extract was ineffective against convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazole and strychnine.

Intraperitoneal administration of 2.5 g/kg bw of linalool to rodents provided protection against convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazole, picrotoxin, and electroshock. Intraperitoneal administration of 2.5 g/kg bw of linalool to mice interfered with glutamate function and delayed Nmethyl-d-aspartate-induced convulsions. Linalool acts as a competitive antagonist of [3H]-glutamate binding and as a non-competitive antagonist of [3H]-dizocilpine binding in mouse cortical membranes. The effects of linalool on [3H]-glutamate uptake and release in mouse cortical synaptosomes were investigated. Linalool, 1.0 mmol/l, reduced potassium-stimulated glutamate release. These data suggest that linalool interferes with elements of the excitatory glutamatergic transmission system.

Anti-inflammatory activity

External application of 2.0 mg of a methanol extract of the fruits inhibited ear inflammation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in mice. External application of 20.0 μl of an ethyl acetate or hexane extract of the fruits did not inhibit ear inflammation induced by O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate in mice; application of 20.0 μl of a methanol extract was weakly active in the same assay. Anethole is a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced nuclear factor (NF)-κβ activation, inhibitor-κβα phosphorylation and degradation, and NF-κβ reporter gene expression in vitro, demonstrating that anethole suppresses inflammation by inhibiting TNF-induced cellular responses.

Bronchodilatory activity

The fruits, 1.0 mmol/l, had signifi cant (P < 0.05) relaxant effects in precontracted, isolated guinea-pig tracheal chains in vitro, indicating a bronchodilatory effect. At the same dose, the fruits induced a parallel rightwards shift in the methacholine-response curve, indicating that the bronchodilatory activity may be due to an inhibitory effect on the muscarinic receptors.

Hypotensive activity

Intravenous administration of 50.0 mg/kg bw of a dried 50% ethanol extract of the fruits dissolved in normal saline to dogs decreased blood pressure. Intragastric administration of an aqueous extract of the fruits reduced atropine-induced hypertension at a dose of 10.0% (no further information available) (31). Administration of an unspecified extract of the fruits had a diuretic effect in rabbits, which was blocked by pretreatment with morphine.

Platelet aggregation inhibition

A methanol extract of the fruits, 500.0 μg/ml, inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation in human platelets.

Smooth muscle stimulant activity

An aqueous extract of the fruits, 10.0% in the bath medium, stimulated contractions of isolated frog rectus abdominis muscle and rat jejunum strips. Anethole, 0.05–1.00 mg/ml, blocked twitching induced by acetylcholine and caffeine in toad rectus abdominis and sartorius muscles, but had no effect on skeletal muscle twitching in isolated rat diaphragm

induced by electrical nerve stimulation.

(WHO-VOL pg 60-67)