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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Infection (general): evidence and sources
inferred from antimicrobial action
For educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants, especially alongside prescribed medication, during pregnancy, or for a serious condition.
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Plants belonging to the genus Taraxacum have been used in traditional healthcare to treat infectious diseases including food-borne infections. This review aims to summarize the available information on Taraxacum spp., focusing on plant cultivation, ethnomedicinal uses, bioactive phytochemicals, and antimicrobial properties. Phytochemicals present in Taraxacum spp. include sesquiterpene lactones, such as taraxacin, mongolicumin B, and taraxinic acid derivatives; triterpenoids, such as taraxasterol, taraxerol, and officinatrione; and phenolic derivatives, such as hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, chicoric, and caffeoyltartaric acids), coumarins (aesculin and cichoriin), lignans (mongolicumin A), and taraxacosides. Aqueous and organic extracts of different plant parts exhibit promising in vitro antimicrobial activity relevant for controlling fungi and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, this genus represents a potential source of bioactive phytochemicals with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, so far, preclinical evidence for these activities has not been fully substantiated by clinical studies. Indeed, clinical evidence for the activity of Taraxacum bioactive compounds is still scant, at least for infectious diseases, and there is limited information on oral bioavailability, pharmacological activities, and safety of Taraxacum products in humans, though their traditional uses would suggest that these plants are safe.
1 source supporting Dandelion for Infection (general). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antimicrobial, antiviral actions. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Currently, the most effective treatment for recurrent urinary tract infections in women is antibiotics. However, the limitation for this treatment is the duration and dosage of antibiotics and the resistance that bacteria develop after a long period of administration. With the aim of identifying mainly novel natural agents with antibacterial activity, the present study was undertaken to investigate the biological and phytochemical properties of extracts from the leaves Taraxacum officinale. The structural identification of compounds present in hexane (Hex) and ethyl acetate (AcOEt) extracts was performed by mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) spectroscopic techniques and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with the major compounds corresponding to different sesquiterpene lactones ( α ‐santonin, glabellin, arborescin, and estafiatin), monoterpene (9,10‐dimethyltricycle [4.2.1.1 (2,5)]decane‐9,10‐diol), phytosterol (Stigmasta‐5,22‐dien‐3 β ‐ol acetate), terpenes (lupeol acetate, pregn‐5‐en‐20‐one‐3 β ‐acetyloxy‐17‐hydroxy, 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxy benzaldehyde), and coumarin (benzofuranone 5,6,7,7‐a‐tetraaldehyde‐4,4,7a‐trimethyl). The results obtained show that the Hex extract was highly active against Staphylococcus aureus showing a MIC of 200 μ g/mL and moderately active against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae with MIC values of 400 μ g/mL and 800 μ g/mL for the other Gram‐negative strains tested with Proteus mirabilis as uropathogens in vitro . Therefore, the effective dandelion extracts could be used in the development of future products with industrial application.
Abstract Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes hepatitis, which progresses to fatal liver diseases and remains a global health problem. Current treatments for chronic hepatitis B are unable to cure hepatitis. Thus, new antiviral drugs must be developed. In this study, the viral inhibition effects of dandelion and taraxasterol were assessed in HepG2.2.15 cell line. Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg. (compositae) with English name dandelion is used as a traditional herb for liver disorders and as a common antiviral agent. Taraxasterol is one of the active compounds of dandelion. The secretion of HBV DNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBeAg was detected using fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) and ELISA, respectively. Intracellular HBsAg was detected by immunofluorescence. In order to demonstrate the potential mechanism of anti-viral activity, the expression levels of host factors polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) were detected with Western blotting and qPCR. Dandelion and taraxasterol effectively reduced the secretion of HBsAg, HBeAg and the HBV DNA in cell supernatants, and significantly reduced the intracellular HBsAg as indicated by immunofluorescence results. Taraxasterol may be one of the main effective components of dandelion. It significantly decreased the protein expression levels of PTBP1 and SIRT1. The present study revealed that dandelion and its component taraxasterol could inhibit HBV and may be a potential anti-HBV drug, whose potential targets were the host factors PTBP1 and SIRT1.