EPs®7630 is an herbal drug preparation from the roots of Pelargonium sidoides (1:8-10; extraction solvent: ethanol 11% [w/w]) and is used for the treatment of
respiratory tract infections. Numerous pharmacological test models have shown that
EPs®7630 exerts antibacterial and antiviral activity [1]. To investigate further pharmacological effects of EPs®7630, it was analyzed in the BioMAP® Diversity PLUS Panel assay (provided by Eurofins DiscoverX Corporation) which includes
12 individual human primary cell-based systems predicting potential drug effects in
multiple tissues and disease states. With this assay an identification and biological
interpretation of relevant biomarker activities and a search for a phenotypically
similar compound from a database (> 4,500 reference compounds) is possible. For EPs®7630 (3.3, 10, 30 µg/ml) anti-proliferative activities on endothelial cells and T-cells
as well a as inflammation-related, tissue remodeling, hemostasis-related and immunomodulatory
activities were found. At a concentration of 30 µg/ml, a strong correlation was found
with respect to the activity profile of methimazole, an antithyroid drug, and troglitazone,
a ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARα and PPARµ). PPARα agonists
have been proposed to play a role in inflammatory lung diseases [2]. At 10 µg/ml, a close EPs®7630 activity resembled that of myricetin, a flavonoid with antioxidant properties.
In addition, effects similar to those of LPS, a Toll-like-receptor-4 agonist, and
fucoidan, an L-selectin antagonist, were obtained. In summary, EPs®7630 showed amongst other an immunomodulatory potential in the BioMAP® Assay and gives new interesting approaches for further investigations, such as PPAR,
TLR-4 and L-selection signaling experiments.
