Plant-derived Nutraceutical Compositions containing Phenethylisothiocyanate and their Uses as Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Rat paw edema anti-inflammatory assays demonstrated that treatment with PEITC essential oil (PEO) was as quick and effective as treatment with aspirin.

Invention Summary:

Rutgers scientists have developed proprietary and unique methods for obtaining high yields of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a natural glucosinolate derivative known for its cancer preventive and antiinflammatory properties, from plant tissues (e.g., seeds).

After evaluating various plant species and tissues for their PEITC content, it was found that the seeds of Barbarea verna (also known as early winter cress or upland cress) contains the highest amount of the desired actives. The proprietary methods were developed to promote optimum release of PEITC using fresh or fresh B. verna plant material. These include standard, economical operations, such as extraction in aqueous solutions, incubation, and drying. To achieve even higher PEITC amounts (up to 10%) seed preparations can further be fortified with natural PEITC essential oil extracted by hydro-distillation of ground B. verna seeds.

The obtained preparations were found to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties in various experiments. For example, in rat paw edema anti-inflammatory assays, it was found that PEITC essential oil was as rapid and effective as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin, when given at the same doses. Thus, PEITC preparations can be used in both food and prescription and non-prescription formulations to maintain wellness and treat many inflammation-related conditions.

Market Applications:

• Health and Wellness
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Asthma
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Crohn’s Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Psoriasis and Skin Rashes
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Allergic Rhinitis
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Lupus
• Metabolic Syndrome
• Veterinary Use
• Functional and Medical Food
• Dietary Supplements
• Cosmetics

Advantages:

• Extraction conditions were optimized to obtain high amounts of PEITC
• Using the developed method, preparations from upland cress seeds displayed more than a 1000-fold increase in PEITC content compared to other known solvent extraction methods
• Experiments in rodents demonstrated that PEITC preparations were as rapid and effective as aspirin, with both treatments leading to a reduction of paw inflammation by more than 50% after 3 hours
• Could be used in both prescription and non-prescription products

Intellectual Property & Development Status:

• U.S. Patents 6,348,220 and 7,838,045, and related foreign patents, covering compositions, methods of preparations, and use as anti-inflammatory agents
• Dr. Raskin has related technologies that are licensed to Nutrasorb. Please contact us for more information