COMPARATIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF ALLIUM-URSINUM AND ALLIUM-SATIVUM

Extracts of wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and garlic (A. sativum) with defined chemical compositions were investigated for their in vitro inh ibitory potential on 5-lipoxygenase (LO), cyclooxygenase (CO) thromboc yte aggregation (TA), and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The i nhibition rates as IC50 values of both extracts for 5-LO, CO, and TA s howed a good correlation with the %-content of the major S-containing compounds (thiosulfinates and ajoenes) of the various extracts. In the 5-LO and CO test the garlic extracts are slightly superior to the wil d garlic extracts whereas, in the TA test, no differences could be fou nd. In the ACE test the water extract of the leaves of wild garlic con taining glutamylpeptides showed the highest inhibitory activity follow ed by that of the garlic leaf and the bulbs of both drugs. The compara tive studies underline the usefulness of wild garlic as a substitute o f garlic.