Decursinol Fact Sheet
Benefits
Minor Pain Relief*
Animal and in vitro experiments suggest the
ability of Decursinol-50™ extract, and the
major components decursinol and decursin, to
alleviate minor pain. Decursinol, one of the
compounds purified from the dried roots of
Angelica gigas Nakai, has been studied in
animals for its pain relieving effects. It
appears to possess analgesic effects in
animal studies by impacting opioid receptors
in the central nervous system, but may also
affect adrenergic and serotonergic
receptors. The central nervous system effect
seems to be the major mechanism of action of
the product. Decursin, a related but
distinct compound from Angelica gigas Nakai,
has shown modulatory activities on a number
of degradation enzymes and cytokines of the
immune system in vitro.
Animal Data
In a series of animal experiments, mice were
subjected to testing on various models of
pain to determine the effects of decursinol
at alleviating the pain response. The
methanolic extract from dried roots of
Angelica gigas Nakai was shown to
significantly enhance the latency of the
pain response to both the tail-flick and
hot-plate experiments in these animals,
indicating higher tolerance to pain in these
animals. Researchers suggest that the
tail-flick response pain model may be a good
indicator of response to pain in humans. As
is often the case with animal research, the
doses used were quite large. The results
showed that the pain relief effect was
dose-dependent and started at an oral dose
of 100 mg/kg of body weight. A significant
sedative relaxing effect was shown at an
oral dose of 200 mg/kg of body weight.1
In a separate animal pain model (also a part
of the same set of experiments described
above), decursinol was found to attenuate
the number of writhings induced by
intraperitoneal injections of acetic acid.
Injection of acetic acid causes inflammation
and the writhing response is considered an
inflammatory pain model. A decrease in the
number of writhings is another crude
indicator of higher levels of pain tolerance
in mice.
Studies using further pain models were also
performed. In one such study, formalin was
injected into the hindpaw of several mice.
Two distinct periods of licking/flinching
and biting the paw are observed in the
formalin test. The decursinol-treated mice
exhibited diminished pain sensations in both
phases, especially in the second phase. In
addition, production of the inflammatory
cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IFN-gamma
was shown to be inhibited by decursinol.
These series of animal experiments highlight
a number of potentially distinct mechanisms
whereby decursinol may decrease the normal
response to pain.2
In vitro Studies
Decursin, a separate compound from the roots
of Angelica gigas Nakai, has been shown to
have anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. A
trial was performed in which both mouse and
human macrophages were activated with LPS (a
bacterial lipopolysaccharide that is a known
inducer of inflammation) in the absense and
presence of decursin. Macrophages play
important roles in the regulation of
inflammation in the body. These cells, when
activated, stimulate the activity of other
immune system molecules such as degradation
enzymes (i.e. MMPs, or matrix
metalloproteinase s, enzymes that degrade
extracellular matrix proteins) and
cytokines. Decursin was found to suppress
the induction of MMP-9 by macrophages in
vitro in a dose-dependent manner. It was
also able to inhibit LPS-induced nitric
oxide production, another response
associated with inflammation, in vitro. In
further investigations, decursin was also
found to suppress the production of a number
of different inflammatory markers, such as
MCP-1 (which plays a role in the recruitment
of immune cells to the inflammatory site),
IL-8, TNF-alpha, and IL-1 beta. Decursin was
found to suppress all of these markers at
the transcriptional level in vitro by
blocking the genes involved in the
associated immune responses. 3
Clinical Trial Data
A recent clinical trial was conducted at the
Mapo Pain Clinic in South Korea to evaluate
the effectiveness and safety of GWB78
extract, also known as Decursinol-50™, in a
group of individuals with chronic pain not
responsive to other treatments. Each
participant (40 participants total) was
administered 500 milligrams of GWB78 powder
daily for two weeks in conjunction with a
physical therapy regimen. The control group
consisting of 40 additional participants was
treated only with physical therapy for the
same time period.
Blood samples were taken and the degree of
pain was measured using a visual analog
scale (VAS). VAS pain scores were
significantly reduced by an average of 68%
in the participants treated with
Decursinol-50™ whereas pain scores in the
control group (physical therapy alone) only
improved by an average of 15%. The treatment
was well tolerated with no adverse effects
noted, indicating the safety of the extract,
and no significant changes in blood measures
were seen.4 Further clinical trials with
larger numbers of participants are currently
underway.
Safety
Suggested Adult Use: Take two
capsules twice daily, with or without food
*This statement has not been evaluated by
the Food and Drug Administration. This
product is not intended to diagnose, treat,
cure, or prevent any disease.
Scientific References
1) Choi S.S., Han K.J., Lee H.K., Han E.J.,
Suh H.W. Antinociceptive profiles of crude
extract from roots of Angelica gigas NAKAI
in various pain models. Biol Pharm Bull.
2003 Sep;26(9):1283-8.
2) Choi S.S., Han K.J., Lee J.K., Lee H.K.,
Han E.J., Kim D.H., Suh H.W. Antinociceptive
mechanisms of orally administered decursinol
in the mouse. Life Sci. 2003 Jun
13;73(4):471-85.
3) Kim J.H., Jeong J.H., Jeon S.T., Kim H.,
Ock J., Suk K., Kim S.I., Song K.S., Lee W.H.
Decursin inhibits induction of inflammatory
mediators by blocking nuclear factor-kappaB
activation in macrophages. Mol Pharmacol.
2006 Jun;69(6):1783-90.
4) Chun Y.S. Clinical study of GWB78 as a
pain-killer with chronic degenerative joint
arthritis and cervicoomobrachial syndrome
patients. Mapo Pain Clinic, Seoul. November
2001. Scigenic Co., Ltd. Unpublished study
report obtained from manufacturer.
Related
products:
Decursinol-GS 120 caps and
Decursinol-PN 60 caps
