| Abstract: |
Harpagophytum procumbens is a medicinal plant with a remarkabletherapeutic reputation in traditional medicine. Harpagophytum procumbens,locally known as ”Devil’s claw, Grapple plant, Wood spider, or Harpago”, iswidely used in South African traditional medicine for the treatment,management and/or control of a variety of human ailments (Van Wyk et al.,2004).Scientific research conducted over the past 4 decades to validate theeffectiveness of Harpagophytum as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-rheumatic agent has produced conflicting results (Mahomed et al., 2005).The possibility that an autoimmune process is involved in thedevelopment of type I diabetes is indicated on the basis of several lines ofevidence from human and animal studies.Type 1 diabetes is a chronic immuno-inflammatory disease, probablyautoimmune in nature, due to the destruction of the insulin-producing ~-cellsof Langerhans from autoreactive mononuclear cells that specifically infiltratethe islets (insulitis) before and shortly after disease development (Bach,1994). Recent studies indicate that type 1 diabetes is a prototypical type 1cytokine-mediated imrnuno- inflammatory disease. IL-l, IL-12, and TNF-uimpair ~-cell function, immunogenicity, and viability in vitro and mightrecruit and activate further autorcactivc effectors in vivo, amplifying f)-eel!destruction (Sternesjo and Sandler, 1998).
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