The thought of another potentially dangerous compound being touted as a "miracle cure" by the Trump administration, like hydroxychloroquine, had medical experts up in arms on Twitter on Monday. Juurlink told MedPage Today that oleandrin is "akin to digoxin. Too much can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but the main concern is arrhythmias, which can be fatal. Jennifer Gunter, MD, tweeted that it's "easier to kill a person with oleandrin than COVID" and highlighted a case report in which two people were poisoned after eating snails that had munched on an oleander plant.
What makes oleander -- the word generally covers the Nerium oleander, Nerium indicum , and Nerium odorum plants, and other common names are kaner, rosebay and rose laurel -- so deadly? Patients should not self-medicate because safety and efficacy of oleander are not known. It has been cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of the world; it is used in traditional medicine to treat hemorrhoids, ulcers, and leprosy-and as an abortifacient.
All parts of the plant contain compounds called cardiac glycosides, which are known for their toxicity. However, while cardiac glycosides in high doses are toxic, optimal doses can be effective in treating heart conditions.
Also, some of these compounds exhibit selective toxicity against tumor cells. Extracts of oleander are promoted to treat cancer, AIDS, and congestive heart failure, and a few of these extracts are being investigated in clinical trials. There are no data yet on their efficacy. In vitro studies indicate that oleandrin, a cardiac glycoside extracted from the leaves of oleander, causes apoptosis in several cancer cell lines[] and increases the sensitivity to radiotherapy of PC-3 human prostate cells.
Putative mechanisms of action include improved cellular export of fibroblast growth factor-2 FGF-2 [1], induction of the Fas gene in tumor cells leading to apoptosis,[6] formation of superoxide radicals that cause tumor cell injury via mitochondrial disruption,[7] and inhibition of interleukin-8, which mediates tumorigenesis.
Patients with hypercalcemia, hypokalemia, bradycardia, ventricular tachycardia, or heart failure should not use this product. Inhibition of export of fibroblast growth factor-2 FGF-2 from the prostate cancer cell lines PC3 and DU by Anvirzel and its cardiac glycoside component, oleandrin. Biochem Pharmacol.
Oleandrin suppresses activation of nuclear transcription factor-kB, activator protein-1, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase. Oleander, she said, is a member of the dogbane family, which translates to "bane to dogs," and is part of the botanical family Apocynaceae, named after Apocynum, Greek for "dog away.
In an Aug. After Carson and his wife subsequently contracted COVID this month, Carson took the opportunity to double-down on his support of the therapy. It was that treatment, not the oleander product, that saved his life, Carson said in his Facebook post. No surprise that he got worse after taking the oleander extract, said Dr. We must trust in the scientific process of ensuring that any therapies that are being explored for treating COVID or its symptoms are vetted as being safe and effective.
Quave's work focuses on using medicinal plants to develop drugs to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections. She said she fears that when medical professionals or people of influence say that a remedy such as oleander extract is safe and effective, members of the public might try to concoct their own versions with devastating results.
0コメント