MODIFICATION OF CYCLOOXYGENASE AND LIPOXYGENASE ACTIVITY WITH ASTERIDAE EXTRACTS AND OPTIONALLY BOSWELLIC ACID

摘要

Extracts from plants in the Asteridae subfamily, such as Carthamus tinctorious, are effective to selectively inhibit COX-2 activity and/or enhance COX-1 activity. When Asteridae extracts are combined with boswellic acid, the combination exhibits a synergistic inhibitory effect on both COX-2 and LO. Such extracts and combinations are used in methods of selectively inhibiting COX-2, inhibiting LO, and/or enhancing COX-1 activity as well as in the methods of treating conditions that would respond favorably to any of these effects.