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Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Inflammation (general): evidence and sources
inferred from anti-inflammatory 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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Since the middle ages, essential oils have been widely used for bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitical, insecticidal, medicinal and cosmetic applications, especially nowadays in pharmaceutical, sanitary, cosmetic, agricultural and food industries. Because of the mode of extraction, mostly by distillation from aromatic plants, they contain a variety of volatile molecules such as terpenes and terpenoids, phenol-derived aromatic components and aliphatic components. In vitro physicochemical assays characterise most of them as antioxidants. However, recent work shows that in eukaryotic cells, essential oils can act as prooxidants affecting inner cell membranes and organelles such as mitochondria. Depending on type and concentration, they exhibit cytotoxic effects on living cells but are usually non-genotoxic. In some cases, changes in intracellular redox potential and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by essential oils can be associated with their capacity to exert antigenotoxic effects. These findings suggest that, at least in part, the encountered beneficial effects of essential oils are due to prooxidant effects on the cellular level.
3 sources supporting Scots Pine for Inflammation (general). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's anti-inflammatory action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Scots pine (SO) and clove (CO) essential oils (EOs) are commonly used by inhalation, and their main components are shown to reduce inflammatory mediator production. The aim of our research was to investigate the chemical composition of commercially available SO and CO by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and study their effects on airway functions and inflammation in an acute pneumonitis mouse model. Inflammation was evoked by intratracheal endotoxin and EOs were inhaled three times during the 24 h experimental period. Respiratory function was analyzed by unrestrained whole-body plethysmography, lung inflammation by semiquantitative histopathological scoring, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and cytokine measurements. α-Pinene (39.4%) was the main component in SO, and eugenol (88.6%) in CO. Both SO and CO significantly reduced airway hyperresponsiveness, and prevented peak expiratory flow, tidal volume increases and perivascular edema formation. Meanwhile, inflammatory cell infiltration was not remarkably affected. In contrast, MPO activity and several inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, KC, MCP-1, MIP-2, TNF-α) were aggravated by both EOs. This is the first evidence that SO and CO inhalation improve airway function, but enhance certain inflammatory parameters. These results suggest that these EOs should be used with caution in cases of inflammation-associated respiratory diseases.
Ethnopharmacological relevance According to ethnobotanical data, Pinus species have been used against rheumatic pain and for wound healing in Turkish folk medicine. Essential oils from the cones and needles of five different Pinus species (Pinus brutia Ten., Pinus halepensis Mill., Pinus nigra Arn., Pinus pinea L. and Pinus sylvestris L.) were evaluated for their in vivo wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities. Materials and methods In vivo wound healing activity of the ointments prepared from essential oils was evaluated by linear incision and circular excision experimental wound models subsequently histopathological analysis and hydroxyproline content. Furthermore, the essential oils were screened for anti-hyaluronidase activity. Additionally anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by using the method of Whittle, which is based on the inhibition of acetic acid-induced increase in capillary permeability. Results The essential oils obtained from the cones of Pinus pinea and Pinus halepensis demonstrated the highest effects on the wound healing activity models. On the other hand, the rest of the essential oils did not show any significant wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities. Conclusion The experimental study revealed that essential oils obtained from the cones of Pinus pinea and Pinus halepensis display remarkable wound healing activity.