2002-2005
Principal Investigators: Diane F. Birt, Ph.D. and Wendy J. Maury, Ph.D.
Institutions: Iowa State University, Ames, IA; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Research projects included: Diversity in Echinacea and Hypericum; Purification, structure determination and synthesis of bioactive components of Echinacea and Hypericum; Bioactivity of constituents and mechanisms of action of Echinacea and Hypericum; and Epidemiological studies of botanical dietary supplements.
2005-2010
Principal Investigators: Diane F. Birt, Ph.D. and Wendy J. Maury, Ph.D.
Institutions: Iowa State University, Ames, IA; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
The renewed Iowa Center continued to focus on two widely used botanicals, Echinacea and Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort); and added Prunella (commonly known as Self-heal). The investigators proposed to identify the anti-viral and anti-inflammatory constituents of each and determine the factors (genetic, growth, environmental, harvest) that influence quantity and quality of bioactive constituents. Mechanism of anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activity were explored, including interaction of constituents with pain receptors that mediate anti-inflammatory activity. A hallmark of the Iowa Center was research on the genetic, developmental, and biochemical diversity of botanical supplement species to improve our understanding of the key constituents that contribute to their bioactivity.
Research projects included: Studies of diversity in Echinacea, Hypericum and Prunella in relation to anti-viral activities; Studies of diversity in Echinacea, Hypericum and Prunella in relation to anti-inflammatory activities; and Pain receptor mediated anti-inflammatory activity of Echinacea and Hypericum species.