While peripheral nerves can regenerate axons that have been damaged, “achieving practical and functionally significant restoration often proves challenging due to the limited axon growth rate.”
Cnicus benedictus, an herb known as “blessed thistle,” has been noted—for centuries—for its support of the digestive system. Now, in a study in Phytomedicine, researchers have shown that cnicin, the active component of Cnicus benedictus, significantly speeds up the growth of nerve fibers in animal models and human cells. The researchers, led by Dr. Philipp Gobrecht and Professor Dr. Dietmar Fischer, Center for Pharmacology of University Hospital Cologne and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne, propose cnicin as “a promising candidate for further drug development to treat nerve damage and promote regeneration.”
In the study, the structurally similar cnicin was compared with parthenolide in the promotion of axon regeneration. Equally potent and effective, cnicin bested parthenolide due to the former’s extraction process and the latter’s poor oral bioavailability. Results from the study include:
- Cnicin promotes axon growth and inhibits microtubule detyrosination of sensory neurons
- Cnicin promotes axon growth of sensory neurons in different species and CNS neurons
- IV cnicin promotes nerve regeneration
- Systemic cnicin accelerates sensory and motor recovery
- Cnicin accelerates functional nerve recovery in rats and rabbits
