Abstract

Inflammation is a key player in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Heracleum persicum Desf. Ex Fischer is a medicinal plant containing phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of H. persicum extract in patients with minimal coronary artery disease. Subjects with <50 luminal narrowing in any of the major coronary arteries in coronary angiography were randomly assigned to H. persicum fruit extract (n = 15; 300 mg/day) or placebo (n = 12) for 6 months. Serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at baseline and at the end of study. Serum CRP levels were significantly reduced in both H. persicum (p = 0.007) and placebo (p = 0.035) groups by the end of trial. In contrast, no significant change in serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8 was observed in the study groups (p > 0.05). Comparison of the magnitude of changes between the study groups did not indicate any significant difference between H. persicum extract and placebo (p > 0.05). The present results did not indicate any superior effect of H. persicum to placebo in terms of changing serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers. © 2015, Springer-Verlag London.