PARTE UTILIZADA=Used part: Goma, resina.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA=Pharmacological action: Antiespasmódico, asma, cólicos nerviosos, hipocondría, emenagogo, vermífugo.

POSOLOGÍA=Posology: Como muchas personas no soportan el olor fuerte de esta resina, se aconseja reducir a polvo 30 gramos de resina, amasarla con miga de pan y tragarlo como una pastilla con unos sorbos de agua. Si se desea, se puede preparar una infusión a razón de 30 gramos por litro de agua, de la que se beben cuatro tazas por día.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA=Chemical composition: Hydrodistd. oils of Ferula assa-foetida root were collected from two Iranian ecotypes (Gonabad and Tabas) and analyzed by GC and GC/MS system.  The results of essential oils anal. showed the presence of 32 compds.  A total of 26 compds. constituting of 98.5 % oil were characterized in Gonabad sample and 26 compds. constituting of 93.3 % oil identified in Tabas sample.  According to present results, both samples showed similar chem. compns., the dominant components in both samples were E-1-propenyl sec-Bu disulfide (30.7 and 18.8 % in Gonabad and Tabas samples, resp.), Z-1-propenyl sec-Bu disulfide (12.4 and 9.2 % in Gonabad and Tabas samples, resp.), eudesmol (10-epi-gama) (12.7 and 18.7 % in Gonabad and Tabas samples, resp.), Me 1-(methylthio) Pr disulfide (10.9 and 4.3 %), eudesmol (7-epi-alpha) (4.8 and 8.2 % in Gonabad and Tabas samples, resp.) and agarospirol (2.8 and 5.1 % in Gonabad and Tabas samples, resp.).

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA=Geografical zone: Argentina.

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= GENETIC DIVERSITY AND IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICINAL PLANTS:
 
Recent mol. systematic investigations suggested that Ferula, an umbellifer genus of about 170 species, is polyphyletic, with its members placed in the apioid superclade and within tribe Scandiceae.  ITS sequence variation from 134 accessions of Apiaceae, including 83 accessions (74 species) of Ferula was analyzed to ascertain the phylogenetic position of the genus within the family.  Phylogenetic analyses of these data using max. parsimony, Bayesian, and neighbor-joining methods supported the monophyly of Ferula upon the addn. of Dorema and Leutea (as Ferula sensu lato) and its placement in tribe Scandiceae.  Ferula sensu was closely allied with other major lineages of Scandiceae, corresponding to subtribes Scandicinae, Daucinae, and Torilidinae.  Therefore, the Ferula clade was recognized as subtribe Ferulinae.  Another addn. to tribe Scandiceae was a clade composed of genera Glaucosciadium and Mozaffariania.  The 3 accessions of Ferula misplaced in the apioid superclade represent a species of Silaum.

Patente extraída del Chemical Abstracts

Skin protectant compositions containing antioxidants and phase 2 enzyme inducers.      Friedlander, Mitchell; Chevreau, Nathalie.  (Western Holdings, LLC, USA).    PCT Int. Appl.  (2009),     20pp.  CODEN: PIXXD2  WO  2009155456  A2  20091223  Designated States W: AE, AG, AL, AM, AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TJ, TM.  Designated States RW: AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IS, IT, LU, MC, MT, NL, NO, PT, SE, TR, BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG.  Patent  written in English.    Application: WO  2009-US47852  20090618.  Priority: US  2008-73720P  20080618.  CAN 152:61756    AN 2009:1595268    CAPLUS   (Copyright (C) 2011 ACS on SciFinder (R))  

A topical compn. for the protection of skin from damage caused by UV radiation.  The compn. includes a direct antioxidant and a phase 2 enzyme inducer (indirect antioxidant) in cosmetic and dermopharmaceutical compns. that protects and prevents skin damage and aging caused by UV radiation.  The compn. includes a broccoli ext. in combination with a compn. including Hibiscus flower ext., Ferula Assa Foetida root ext., pear fruit ext., and green tea leaf ext., which exhibit a synergistic effect in protecting the skin from the adverse effects of UV radiation.  The compn. further includes Vitamin C and Vitamin E.  The antioxidant compns. can be incorporated into cosmetics, pharmaceutical compns., sunscreen products, moisturizing lotions, skin toners, and other skin care products.

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES IN MEDICINAL PLANTS
 
1) The anti-angiogenic and anti-cancer activities of galbanic acid (GBA) ate investigated.  Using human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) model, we analyzed effects of GBA on cellular and mol. events related to angiogenesis.  We tested its direct anti-proliferative action on mouse Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells and established its in vivo anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor efficacy using LLC model.  GBA significantly decreased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced proliferation and inhibited VEGF-induced migration and tube formation of HUVECs.  These effects were accompanied by decreased phosphorylation of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and AKT, and decreased expression of VEGFR targets endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and cyclin D1 in VEGF-treated HUVECs.  GBA also decreased LLC proliferation with an apparent G2/M arrest, but did not induce apoptosis.  In vivo, inclusion of GBA in Matrigel plugs reduced VEGF-induced angiogenesis in mice.  Galbanic acid given by daily i.p. injection (1 mg/kg) inhibited LLC-induced angiogenesis in an intradermal inoculation model and inhibited the growth of s.c. inoculated LLC allograft in syngenic mice.  Immunohistochem. revealed decreased CD34 microvessel d. index and Ki-67 proliferative index in GBA-treated tumors.  GBA exerts anti-cancer activity in assocn. with anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative actions.

2) The gum resin of Ferula assafoetida Linn. afforded one new sesquiterpene, asimafoetida (I) and three known sesquiterpenoid coumarins.  The structure has been established from extensive 2D NMR spectral studies as 7'-[7-(1R,3S)-5-Hydroxy-6,6-dimethyl-2-methylene-cyclohexyl]-9- methyl-9-pentenyl]oxy]-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one.  The other three known compds. are ferulic acid, farnesiferol A and farnesiferol C.
 
3) The antioxidant activity of the aerial parts of Ferula assafoetida was detd. by employing various in vitro assay systems.  IC50 for DPPH radical-scavenging activity was 380 ± 12 mg ml-1.  The exts. showed good nitric oxide-scavenging activity (IC50 was 270 ± 3) and Fe2+ chelating ability (IC50 was 0.57 ± 0.02 mg ml-1).  The peroxidn. inhibition (antioxidant activity) of the exts. exhibited values from 82% (at 24 h) and 88% (at 72 h).  The ext. exhibited a fairy weak reducing power at 25-800 mg ml-1 of exts. which was not comparable with Vitamin C (p < 0.001).  The tested exts. exhibited very low antioxidant activity.  In addn., the chem. compn. of the essential oil of the aerial parts was detd.  The major compds. were phenol, 2-methyl-5-(1-Me ethyl) (18.2 %), alpha-Bisabolol (10.4%) and Arsine tri-Et (8.7 %).  Total phenol compds., as detd. by the Folin Ciocalteu method, were 94.8 ± 5.9 mg gallic acid equiv./g of ext. powder and the total flavonoid content (by AlCl3 method) was 90.9 ± 6.3 mg quercetin equiv./g of ext. powder.

1) CONSELL, Danilo M. Enciclopedia de plantas que curan. Buenos Aires: Ediliba, 1987. 2 volúmenes.
2) iMIRZAEI, Hossein Hadavand; HASANLOO, Tahereh. Essential oil composition of root of Ferula assa-foetida from two Iranian localities (Gonabad and Tabas).  Asian Journal of Chemistry. 2009, Vol.21, nº8, p.6354-6358.
 
3) KURZYNA-MLYNIK, Renata, et al. Phylogenetic position of the genus Ferula (Apiaceae) and its placement in tribe Scandiceae as inferred from nrDNA ITS sequence variation. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 2008, Vol.274, nº1-2, p.47-66.
 
4) KIM, Kwan-Hyun, et al.  Galbanic acid isolated from Ferula assafoetida exerts in vivo anti-tumor activity in association with anti-angiogenesis and anti-proliferation. Pharmaceutical Research. 2010.  

5) GHOSH, Anindita, et al. A new sesquiterpenoid coumarin from Ferula assafoetida. Natural Product Communications. 2009, Vol.4, nº8, p.1023-1024.
 
6) DEHPOUR, Abbas Ali, et al.  Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of Ferula assafoetida and its essential oil composition. Grasas y Aceites (Sevilla, Spain). 2009, Vol.60, nº4, p.405-412.