375
reduction in prostaglandin synthesis, which may hinder secondary aggregation of
platelets. In a study Vazquez et al. (1996) showed that Aloe gel caused a 48% reduction in prostaglandin synthesis compared with a 63% reduction by indomethacin. It
is evident by a case of a female patient in which she lost 5 litres of blood during
surgery due to a possible herb-drug interaction between orally ingested A. vera tablets and sevoflurane, an inhibitor of thromboxane A 2 (Rabe et al. 2005). Interactions
of Aloe gel have also been observed for hydrocortisone, antidiabetic agents, and UV
radiation.
A case of acute oliguric renal failure and liver dysfunction occurred when a
47-year-old man ingested Cape Aloes (Luyckx et al. 2002). Hepatotoxicity is considered one of the most reported adverse effects caused by herbal dietary supplements (Guo et al. 2010). The first case of acute hepatitis due to the ingestion of
A. vera compound was reported in 2005 in Germany (Rabe et al. 2005). Afterward,
cases of Aloe-induced toxic hepatitis were reported in Turkey, (Kanat et al. 2006)
United States, (Bottenberg et al. 2007) Argentina, (Curciarello et al. 2008), and
Korea (Yang et al. 2010). A total of six females and two males were admitted to
hospital for acute hepatitis after taking Aloe preparation over 3–260 weeks (Lee
et al. 2014). Their clinical manifestation, liver biopsy, and laboratory findings supported the diagnosis of toxic hepatitis. All eight patients showed improved condition after discontinuing this medication. These cases emphasize the importance of
considering phytopharmaceutical over-the-counter drugs as causative agents in
hepatotoxicity. Adverse effects of Aloe whole-leaf powder have been reported at
concentrations of 2 g/kg BW, and the LOAEL for aloin is estimated at 11.8 g/kg BW
(Zhou et al. 2003).
18.8 Conclusion
Aloe is a genus with a number of beneficial and medically important species that
have been used traditionally in several parts of the world especially Africa and
India. Aloe species are one of the best studied medicinal plants with therapeutic
properties due to presence of wide range of novel bioactive compounds with synergistic actions. The presence of the several pharmacologically important chemicals
in the plants supports the clinical importance of the plants’ usage within the specific
doses that have been confirmed by the scientific data and are approved to be within
the safety limits. This review article focuses on the present research advancement on
Aloe species especially highlighting its mechanism of action in combating multiple
diseases. The plants especially Aloe vera has been identified to exhibit a number of
useful properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, wound
healing, immunomodulation, antiseptic and cosmetics use attributing to the presence of several importance constituents. Although, there are issues related to safety
concerns much needs to be done for evaluateing the toxicological evaluation of Aloe
species. Thus, implementation of some biotechnological techniques is required to
cover a wide spectrum of scientific applications and to better understand the possible benefits offered by the significant Aloe plant.
18 Aloe Species as Valuable Sources of Functional Bioactives
reduction in prostaglandin synthesis, which may hinder secondary aggregation of
platelets. In a study Vazquez et al. (1996) showed that Aloe gel caused a 48% reduction in prostaglandin synthesis compared with a 63% reduction by indomethacin. It
is evident by a case of a female patient in which she lost 5 litres of blood during
surgery due to a possible herb-drug interaction between orally ingested A. vera tablets and sevoflurane, an inhibitor of thromboxane A 2 (Rabe et al. 2005). Interactions
of Aloe gel have also been observed for hydrocortisone, antidiabetic agents, and UV
radiation.
A case of acute oliguric renal failure and liver dysfunction occurred when a
47-year-old man ingested Cape Aloes (Luyckx et al. 2002). Hepatotoxicity is considered one of the most reported adverse effects caused by herbal dietary supplements (Guo et al. 2010). The first case of acute hepatitis due to the ingestion of
A. vera compound was reported in 2005 in Germany (Rabe et al. 2005). Afterward,
cases of Aloe-induced toxic hepatitis were reported in Turkey, (Kanat et al. 2006)
United States, (Bottenberg et al. 2007) Argentina, (Curciarello et al. 2008), and
Korea (Yang et al. 2010). A total of six females and two males were admitted to
hospital for acute hepatitis after taking Aloe preparation over 3–260 weeks (Lee
et al. 2014). Their clinical manifestation, liver biopsy, and laboratory findings supported the diagnosis of toxic hepatitis. All eight patients showed improved condition after discontinuing this medication. These cases emphasize the importance of
considering phytopharmaceutical over-the-counter drugs as causative agents in
hepatotoxicity. Adverse effects of Aloe whole-leaf powder have been reported at
concentrations of 2 g/kg BW, and the LOAEL for aloin is estimated at 11.8 g/kg BW
(Zhou et al. 2003).
18.8 Conclusion
Aloe is a genus with a number of beneficial and medically important species that
have been used traditionally in several parts of the world especially Africa and
India. Aloe species are one of the best studied medicinal plants with therapeutic
properties due to presence of wide range of novel bioactive compounds with synergistic actions. The presence of the several pharmacologically important chemicals
in the plants supports the clinical importance of the plants’ usage within the specific
doses that have been confirmed by the scientific data and are approved to be within
the safety limits. This review article focuses on the present research advancement on
Aloe species especially highlighting its mechanism of action in combating multiple
diseases. The plants especially Aloe vera has been identified to exhibit a number of
useful properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, wound
healing, immunomodulation, antiseptic and cosmetics use attributing to the presence of several importance constituents. Although, there are issues related to safety
concerns much needs to be done for evaluateing the toxicological evaluation of Aloe
species. Thus, implementation of some biotechnological techniques is required to
cover a wide spectrum of scientific applications and to better understand the possible benefits offered by the significant Aloe plant.
18 Aloe Species as Valuable Sources of Functional Bioactives