Ganeshpurkar 2017: The Pharmacological Potential of Rutin

Ganeshpurkar, Saluja. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 25, 149-164.

This is a comprehensive review of Rutin — a natural-source pharmaceutical that has an almost unbelievable profile of benefits.  It is found in many sources, including passion flowers, apples, and buckwheat (kasha).

1. Prevents neuroinflammation
   1. prevents brain ischemia (stroke)
   2. Prevents hypoxia (low oxygen) & oxidative stress
   3. Reduces dementia in rat models of Alzheimer’s
2. Promotes neural crest cell survival (prenatal)
3. Sedative, sleep
4. Anticonvulsant
   1. Safe in epilepsy
   2. Doesn’t interact with seizure meds
5. Anti-Alzheimer:
   1. suppresses proinflammatory cytokines
   2. Treats hyperkinetic movement disorder (ADHD?)
   3. Reverses tardive dyskinesia caused by other drugs
6. Antidepressant effects
7. Antidiabetic effects (including eye protection, see below)
8. Reduces elevated cholesterol
9. Promotes thyroid uptake
10. Cardiovascular:
    1. Reduces hypertension
    2. Reduces oxidative stress
    3. WARNING:  Reduces anticoagulant effect of warfarin
    4. Inhibited platelet activating factor
11. GI system:
    1. Anti-ulcer effects
    2. Prevents alcohol from causing damage
    3. Restores glutathione peroxidase
12. Respiratory system: Anti-asthma activity
13. Bones: Anti-osteoporosis effect
14. Eye: 
    1. Anti-cataract effect
    2. Reduced intraocular pressure (glaucoma)
15. Excretory system:
    1. Diuretic (Quercetin, a metabolite of rutin)
16. Reproductive system:
    1. Protects sperm
    2. Protects testicular tissue from oxidative stress in Type 1 diabetes
17. Anti-cancer effects: (as addition to other therapy)
    1. Anti-leukemia effect
    2. Reduces effect of colon cancer  in mice
    3. Anti-neuroblastoma effect
    4. Anti-ovarian cancer effect
    5. Pancreatic cancer effect
18. Chemotherapeutic activity:
    1. Antibacterial activity:
       1. Inhibits growth of bacteria, including E-coli
       2. In honey, prevents infection
       3. Food preservation possibility
    2. Other:
       1. Fights Candida
       2. Suggested use in treating septic arthritis
       3. Fights Mycobacterium smegmatis
       4. Kills larvae of S. aegypti
       5. Antimalarial effects with chloroquine and alone
       6. Antiretroviral activity, including HIV virus
       7. Antiviral activity
          1. Canine distemper
          2. Avian influenza (bird flu)
19. Hair:  Prevents baldness
20. Skin: 
    1. Prevents sunburn
    2. Relieves contact dermatitis
    3. Anti-aging effect
21. Immune system improvement (in shrimp)
22. Body strength:
    1. Anti-fatigue activity
    2. Prevents superoxide dismutase depletion
    3. Prevents glutathione reduction
23. Organ protection:
    1. Colon cancer
    2. Eye (blood flow and retina recovery)
    3. Lung injury
    4. Heart
    5. Spleen
    6. Liver, including cirrhosis
    7. Kidney (nephropathy)
    8. Blood vessels
24. Wounds:
    1. Wound healing when applied to skin
    2. Protection of healthy cells during radiation therapy

Drug interaction:

1. Increased absorption of paclitaxel
2. Increased resistance to drugs because of improved drug metabolizing enzymes in the liver
   1. About the same as phenobarbital and prenenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile

Not carcinogenic (in study of hamsters)

CONCLUSION:   The authors end by saying “an apple a day keeps doctor away” may be true.

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