[MPWG] A positive black cohosh study 12/7/2006 - Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa) Behaves as a Mixed Competitive Ligand and Partial Agonist at the Human Opiate Receptor

[McCoy, Joe-Ann]

FYI:  A positive black cohosh study which came out 2 weeks ago but didn't receive the press' attention.  Just to even out the uncertainty.........

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2006/54/i26/abs/jf062808u.html


J. Agric. Food Chem., 54 (26), 9852 -9857, 2006. 10.1021/jf062808u S0021-8561(06)02808-1 
December 7, 2006 

Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society 

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa) Behaves as a Mixed Competitive Ligand and Partial Agonist at the Human  Opiate Receptor 

Mee-Ra Rhyu,# Jian Lu, Donna E. Webster, Daniel S. Fabricant, Norman R. Farnsworth, and Z. Jim Wang* 

Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research and Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60612 

Abstract:

Black cohosh is a commonly used botanical dietary supplement for the treatment of climacteric complaints. Because the opiate system in the brain is intimately associated with mood, temperature, and sex hormonal levels, the activity of black cohosh extracts at the human  opiate receptor (hMOR) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells was investigated. The 100% methanol, 75% ethanol, and 40% 2-propanol extracts of black cohosh effectively displaced the specific binding of [3H]DAMGO to hMOR. Further studies of the clinically used ethanol extract indicated that black cohosh acted as a mixed competitive ligand, displacing 77 ± 4% [3H]DAMGO to hMOR (Ki = 62.9 g/mL). Using the [35S]GTPS assay, the action of black cohosh was found to be consistent with an agonist, with an EC50 of 68.8 ± 7.7 g/mL. These results demonstrate for the first time that black cohosh contains active principle(s) that activate hMOR, supporting its beneficial role in alleviating menopausal symptoms. 

Keywords: Black cohosh; menopause; hot flashes; opiate; botanical dietary supplement

Received for review October 1, 2006. Accepted October 24, 2006. This publication was funded by the following grants: AT003476 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS); AT000155 jointly provided to the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research by the ODS, the NCCAM, the Office for Research on Women's Health, and the National Institute for General Medical Sciences; and DA005050 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. D.E.W. is supported by an NIH predoctoral fellowship (F31AT002669). J.L. is a University Fellow. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NCCAM, NIDA, or the National Institutes of Health.

Joe-Ann McCoy, Ph.D.
USDA-ARS Medicinal Plant Curator
North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station
G212 Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-1170
USA
phone: 515-294-2297
fax: 515-294-1903