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Abstract
Human blood neutrophil granulocytes (neutrophils) treated with Podophyllum peltatum L.-derived compounds exhibited an enhanced oxidative response to subsequent challenge
with bacterial formyl peptides. This priming effect was concerned with superoxide
anion (O2
−) release (respiratory burst). The phenomenon was observed with a potentized preparation
containing, among other things, podophyllum extract (Podophyllum compositum), with Podophyllum 4x (final concentration of active principle about 0.025 μg/ml), whereas enhancement
of O2
− release was not caused by homoeopathic Podophyllum 12x or other components of the complex homoeopathic preparation. Purified podophyllotoxin
had the same effect at doses of 0.1–10 μg/ml, whereas doses higher than 100 μg/ml
of podophyllotoxin inhibited the respiratory burst, so that pure toxin showed a typical
bi-phasic dose-response curve. Similar effects were obtained with purified colchicine
(1–1000 μg/ml), a microtubule-disrupting agent. No priming by a Podophyllum-derived compound was observed on neutrophils stimulated with 50 ng/ml phorbol ester.
Further, both potentized podophyllum-derived compounds and pure podophyllotoxin-inhibited cellular adhesion to the serum-coated
surface of culture microplates. These results show that low potencies of a drug extract
have specific stimulating effects on the activation of neutrophil metabolism. The
same stimulating effects are also caused by low doses of the active principle of the
drug, which is an inhibitor when used at high doses.
Key words
Leukocyte function - Superoxide anion - Adhesion -
Podophyllum peltatum L. - Podophyllotoxin - Colchicine - Hormesis
