Friday, December 5, 2008

Effectiveness of plant discovered in treating dengue

BRASILIA, Dec. 2 (Chinese media) -- The cat's claw, a plant from

the Amazon region that is already used to treat different diseases, is also

effective in combating dengue, Brazilian media reported Tuesday.

Experiments with an advanced extract of cat's claw

(uncaria tomentosa) to prevent inflammation caused by dengue fever have proved

promising and a new natural medicine would be ready shortly, according to

researchers of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, which is affiliated with the

Brazilian Health Ministry.

The substance extracted from the cat's claw directly

involves in the production of proteins needed to respond to the inflammatory

effect caused by dengue, which manages to prevent the worsening of the disease.

"This is one of several plants in which we have seen

a preliminary result of inhibition of certain inflammatory factors that occur

when dengue infects the body," Sonia Kubelka Claire Reis, a researcher of the

foundation, was quoted as saying.

At present, there are no effective medicines to

combat dengue fever, whose virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito,

and the only recommended treatment is hydration of patients as they recover.

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is considered the largest

center for the studies in medicine in Latin America.

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