Platycodon / Ballonplant

Platycodon grandiflorus of Ballonklokje is een goed winterharde vaste plant, die bladverliezend in de winter is.

Als deze plant eenmaal goed is aangeslagen kan hij veel verdragen. Het enige wat hij echt nodig heeft is zon en voldoende vochtige grond.

De bloeiende plant wordt, afhankelijk van de gekochte soort, 40 tot 60 cm hoog. De plant bloeit in de kleuren wit, roze en blauw in de maanden juni, juli en augustus. Hij staat leuk in grote groepen in de border en laat zich gemakkelijk combineren met andere planten. De plant vormt een mooie pol.

Standplaats Platycodon grandiflorus

De plant kan op een plek in hete zon staan, maar heeft dan wel voldoende water nodig. De plant heeft een humusrijke grond nodig, zodat vocht wordt vastgehouden, maar de grond moet wel waterdoorlatend zijn.

Ballonklokje

Zet de planten op een onderlinge afstand van 30 cm, uiteindelijk wordt het een mooi dicht tapijt. Zorg dat het Ballonklokje niet in de schaduw van bomen of struiken komt te staan, maar zet hem op een zonnige open plek in de tuin.

Bloei

Platycodon grandiflorus bloeit, afhankelijk van de soort, in de maanden juni, juli en augustus met witte, roze of blauwe bloemen. Haal de uitgebloeide bloemen eruit, om doorbloei te stimuleren. Voordat de bloemen opengaan hebben ze een ballonvorm, vandaar de naam Ballonklokje. De bloemen worden 5 tot 8 cm groot.

Blad en vermeerderen Platycodon grandiflorus

Het blad van deze winterharde vaste plant is grijsgroen van kleur.

De plant kan in het najaar worden gescheurd of gedeeld. Het duurt wel weer even voordat de plant zich weer hersteld heeft.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Apr 22;164:147-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.01.052. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Platycodon grandiflorus - an ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review.

Zhang L1, Wang Y1, Yang D2, Zhang C2, Zhang N2, Li M3, Liu Y4.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:

Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A. DC., the sole species in genus Platycodon A. DC. (Campanulaceae) has a long history of use as a traditional herbal medicine for the treatments of cough, phlegm, sore throat, lung abscess, chest pain, dysuria, and dysentery. As a legal medicine and dietary supplement, it is also frequently used as an ingredient in health foods and vegetable dishes. The aim of this review is to provide up-to-date information on the botanical characterization and distribution, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity of Platycodon grandiflorus based on literature published in recent years. It will build a foundation for further study of the mechanism of action and the development of better therapeutic agents and healthy products from Platycodon grandiflorus.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

All of the available information on Platycodon grandiflorus was collected via electronic search (using PubMed, SciFinder Scholar, CNKI, TPL (www.theplantlist.org), Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and Web of Science).

RESULTS:

A comprehensive analysis of the literature obtained through the above-mentioned sources confirmed that ethno-medical uses of Platycodon grandiflorus have been recorded in China, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea for thousands of years. A phytochemical investigation revealed that this product contains steroidal saponins, flavonoids, polyacetylenes, sterols, phenolics, and other bioactive compounds. Crude extracts and pure compounds isolated from Platycodon grandiflorus exhibited significant anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory effects. They also showed valuable bioactive effects, such as anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective and cardiovascular system effects, among others.

CONCLUSIONS:

In light of its long traditional use and the modern phytochemical and pharmacological studies summarized here, Platycodon grandiflorus has been demonstrated to show a strong potential for therapeutic and health-maintaining uses. Both the extracts and chemical components isolated from the plant showed a wide range of biological activities. Thus, more studies on the pharmacological mechanisms of its main active compounds (e.g., platycodin D, D2) need to be conducted. In addition, as one of the most popular traditional herbal medicines, clinical studies of the main therapeutic aspects, toxicity and adverse effects of Platycodon grandiflorus will also undoubtedly be the focus of future investigation.

Int J Mol Med. 2013 Jun;31(6):1357-66. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2013.1330. Epub 2013 Apr 4.

Anti-inflammatory effects of saponins derived from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorus in lipopolysaccharide‑stimulated BV2 microglial cells.

Jang KJ1, Kim HK, Han MH, Oh YN, Yoon HM, Chung YH, Kim GY, Hwang HJ, Kim BW, Choi YH.

Radix platycodi is the root of Platycodon grandiflorus A. DC, which has been widely used as a food material and for the treatment of a number of chronic inflammatory diseases in traditional oriental medicine. In this study, the anti‑inflammatory effects of the saponins isolated from radix platycodi (PGS) on the production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 murine microglial cells were examined. We also investigated the effects of PGS on LPS‑induced nuclear factor‑κB (NF-κB) activation and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Following stimulation with LPS, elevated nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and pro-inflammatory cytokine production was detected in the BV2 microglial cells. However, PGS significantly inhibited the excessive production of NO, PGE2 and pro‑inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in a concentration-dependent manner without causing any cytotoxic effects. In addition, PGS suppressed NF-κB translocation and inhibited the LPS-induced phosphorylation of AKT and MAPKs. Our results indicate that the inhibitory effect of PGS on LPS-stimulated inflammatory response in BV2 microglial cells is associated with the suppression of NF-κB activation and the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. Therefore, these findings suggest that PGS may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by inhibiting inflammatory responses in activated microglial cells.

Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Jun;47(6):1069-75. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2009.01.041.

Inhibitory mechanism of saponins derived from roots of Platycodon grandiflorum on anaphylactic reaction and IgE-mediated allergic response in mast cells.

Han EH1, Park JH, Kim JY, Chung YC, Jeong HG.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of saponins isolated from the root of Platycodi Radix (Changkil saponins: CKS) anti-allergic effects in mice and mast cells. Oral administration of CKS inhibited the dinitrophenyl (DNP)-IgE antibody-induced systemic PCA reaction in mice. CKS reduced the beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release from anti-DNP-IgE-sensitized RBL-2H3 cells. In addition, CKS inhibited the IgE antibody-induced increases in IL-4 and TNF-alphaproduction and expression in RBL-2H3 cells. In order to explore the inhibitory mechanism of CKS in PCA and mast cell degranulation, we examined the activation of intracellular signaling molecules. CKS suppressed DNP-IgE antibody-induced Syk phosphorylation. Further downstream, CKS also inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and MAP kinases. Taken together, the in vivo/in vitro anti-allergic effects of CKS suggest possible therapeutic applications for this agent in allergic diseases through the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and Syk-dependent signaling cascades.

Evaluation of the Spermicidal and Contraceptive Activity of Platycodin D, a Saponin from Platycodon grandiflorum

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082068

Zongliang Lu, Leiguang Wang, Rui Zhou, Yi Qiu, Liuna Yang, Chanyu Zhang, Min Cai, Mantian Mi, Hongxia Xu

Background The extract of Platycodon grandiflorum has been reported to have effective spermicidal activity. This study was designed to evaluate the spermicidal and contraceptive activity, as well as the safety, of Platycodin D (PD), a major saponin in Platycodon grandiflorum. Methods Using the computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) test criteria, the sperm-immobilizing activity of PD was studied using highly motile human sperm. The sperm viability was assessed by fluorescent staining using SYBR-14 (living sperm) and propidium iodide (dead sperm). The sperm membrane integrity was assessed by evaluating the hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) and examinations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in vivo contraceptive efficacy was evaluated in rats using post-intrauterine PD application. The comet assay was employed to determine whether PD caused DNA damage in the sperm. Vaginal biopsies were also performed to determine whether the PD gel induced vaginal inflammation. Results A dose-dependent effect of PD on the sperm motility and viability was observed. The maximum spermicidal effect was observed with a 0.25 mM concentration of PD. More than 70% of the PD-treated sperm lost their HOS responsiveness at a concentration of 0.20 mM PD, indicating that PD caused injury to the sperm plasma membrane. TEM and SEM revealed significant damage to both the head and tail membranes of the sperm. PD decreased the fertility to zero in rats, was non-DNA damaging and was not harmful to the vaginal tissue in the rats. Conclusion PD has significant spermicidal activity that should be explored in further studies.

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