Low-dose Drosera rotundifolia induces gene expression changes in 16HBE human bronchial epithelial cells.

Drosera rotundifolia has been traditionally used for the treatment of respiratory diseases in phytotherapy and homeopathy. The mechanisms of action recognized so far are linked to the known effects of specific components, such as flavonoids, but are not completely understood. In this study, the biological functions of D.

Fibronectin Gene Up-regulation by Arnica montana in Human Macrophages: Validation by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay.

Background And Aim: () is a popular traditional medicine, used for its therapeutic properties in healing traumas, but little is known about its biological action on tissue formation and repair. This new work tested the effects of homeopathic dilutions on human macrophages, key cells in tissue defence and repair.

Materials And Methods: Macrophages derived from the THP-1 cell line were differentiated with interleukin-4 to induce a 'wound-healing'-like phenotype, and treated with various dilutions of .

Comments on the Retraction by PLoS ONE of a Laboratory Study on Arnica montana.

In June 2019, the journal PLoS ONE retracted an original research article, published in 2016, which described the effects of homeopathic on interleukin-4 treated human macrophages. The results showed an increase in extracellular matrix gene expression, including the gene encoding fibronectin, which is one of the main proteins involved in connective tissue healing. Here, the authors of the article discuss the critical points raised by the journal in the retraction note, with a focus on the specific methodological aspects of research on high dilutions of natural compounds.

Arnica montana experimental studies: confounders and biases?

Arnica montana is a popular traditional remedy widely used in complementary and alternative medicine, in part for its wound-healing properties. The authors recently showed that this plant extract and several of its homeopathic dilutions are able to modify the expression of a series of genes involved in inflammation and connective tissue regeneration. Their studies opened a debate, including criticisms to the "errors" in the methods used and the "confounders and biases".