Blood Pressure and Cognitive Performance After a Single Administration of a Camphor-Crataegus Combination in Adolescents with Low Blood Pressure.

Low blood pressure is rather widespread among adolescents and frequently accompanied by complaints. Two single-center, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled trials were performed with adolescent participants in the age range of 14 - 17 y having a systolic blood pressure below 118 mmHg (boys) or 110 mmHg (girls). They received a single dose of 20 drops of a fixed combination of natural D-camphor and an ethanolic extract from fresh Crataegus berries (CCC) or of an ethanolic placebo. The efficacy of CCC (commercial name Korodin) has proven its efficacy in the treatment of low blood pressure in adults of all ages, although related placebo-controlled, double-blind studies for adolescents following European (EU) pediatric regulations are lacking. Blood pressure and heart rate were assessed during a rest period, prior to substance administration, 1 min thereafter, and after about 5 min. Additionally, performance was assessed by two cognitive tests. After administration of CCC, a significantly greater rise in blood pressure occurred compared to placebo. In the cognitive tasks, no significant differences were observed. No adverse events or subjective complaints were reported at the final examination; thus, the present study provides evidence for the safety and tolerability of CCC after a single administration.

Hierarchy of carcinoma cell responses to apigenin: gap junctional coupling versus proliferation.

We discriminated the role of gap junctional communication and phenotypic constitution of tumour cells in determining their responsiveness to apigenin. Effects of apigenin on intercellular communication and proliferation of two lines of carcinoma cells, uncoupled HeLa cells and their coupled Cx43-transfected counterparts, were analysed and compared with the responses of highly coupled BICR/M1Rk cells. Dye transfer analyses demonstrated that apigenin decreases the degree of coupling in Cx43-coupled populations of HeLa cells but does not affect BICR/M1Rk cells. Similarly, no communication enhancement was observed in originally uncoupled HeLa cell populations. A G2-specific growth arrest paralleled by the induction of apoptosis was observed which was more pronounced and correlated with higher number of apoptotic events in coupled HeLa Cx43 transfectants than in parental cell line. On the other hand, apoptosis was not observed in highly coupled BICR/M1Rk cells, instead, these cells were only transiently blocked in G2 which might be a result of their ability to metabolise apigenin. These data demonstrate a hierarchy of systems determining cellular sensitivity to apigenin. Gap junctional coupling does not influence the quality of cell cycle-related responses to apigenin but modulates their magnitude. This modulating effect of gap junctional coupling depends, however, on a cellular context determined by specific cell phenotype and can be overcome by tissue-specific compensatory mechanisms.