Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Review Article

Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammation: A Critical Review of In Vitro and Clinical Approaches for Benefit Assessment of Plant Food Supplements

Table 3

Inflammatory parameters assessed in clinical trials of botanicals in diabetes.


Method¹	Botanical or botanical derivatives used	No. of participants and length of treatment	Parameters measured	Results	Reference

Double-blind randomized controlled cross-over trial	Grape seed extract (V.vinifera)	32 (4 weeks)	hs-CRP	Decreased hs-CRP	Kar et al., 2009 [31]
Double-blind randomized controlled multicenter trial	Pycnogenol (extract of bark from the French Maritime Pine, Pinus pinaster)	77 (12 weeks)	Endothelin-1 and ketoprostaglandin F1-α	Decreased endothelin-1 and increased ketoprostaglandin F1-α	Liu et al., 2004 [45]
Randomized double-blind controlled trial	Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), green tea (C. sinensis L.) extract	114 (12 weeks)	Plasma MDA	Decrease of MDA	Kutan Fenercioglu et al., 2010 [46]
	Blueberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) leaves water extract	42 (4 weeks)	Serum CRP	Decreased hs- CRP	Abidov et al., 2006 [47]
Single-blind randomized controlled trial	Coffee	47 (1-month washout, 1 month 4 cups/day, and 1 month 8 cups/day)	CRP, IL-6, IL-1, IL-18, 8-isoprostane, MIF, adiponectin, leptin, and SSA	Decreased IL-18, 8-isoprostane and increased adiponectin and other markers unchanged	Kempf et al., 2010 [48]
Randomized controlled cross-over trial	Green tea (C. sinensis L.) aqueous extract	55 (4 weeks)	hs-CRP and major cytokine mediator (IL-6)	Both mediators unchanged	Ryu et al., 2006 [49]
Randomized open controlled clinical trial	Black tea (C. sinensis)	46 (4 weeks: 150 mL week 1, 300 mL week 2, 450 mL week 3, and 600 mL week 4)	Serum CRP, MDA, and fibrinogen	Decreased serum CRP after consumption of 600 mL and MDA after consumption of 300 mL; fibrinogen unchanged	Neyestani et al., 2010 [50]
Open noncontrolled nonrandomized clinical trial	Ginkgo biloba extract (24% ginkgo flavone glycosides and 6% terpenes	47 (12 weeks)	Urinary metabolites of thromboxane B2 (TXB₂)and prostacyclin (PGI2)	Decreased urinary TXB₂and PGI2	Kudolo et al., 2003 [51]
Prospective cohort studies	Coffee	2040 (6 years)	Adiponectin	Higher in drinkers of >4 cups/day	Williams et al., 2008 [52]

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and malondialdehyde (MDA).
¹Clinical studies used to assess inflammatory parameters are listed from the best to the worst method applied.