Prophylactic aloe components on autoimmune diseases: barbaloin, aloe-emodin, emodin, and fermented butyrate

Abstract

The involvement of aloe plants in the remedy of chronic diseases has been well publicized in the past. In this review paper, we attempted to focus on the major aloe ingredients on their known efficacy related to the immune modulating activities. Several bioactive phytochemicals present in Aloe barbadensis (vera) are known to relieve rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related pains by suppressing chronically over-activated inflammatory process. Aloe-emodin has been shown to promote natural killer cell and macrophage phagocytic activities in the tumor, and emodin, an anthraquinone found also in other plants, appeared to have some protective anti-inflammatory effect by showing its inhibition of IL-1β and LPS-stimulated proliferation of RA synoviocytes in a dose-dependent manner under hypoxic condition.

Another putative immune modulator we reviewed in this paper is aloe’s butyrate fermented by the dietary aloe in the gut. Its beneficial effects are based on the host immune metabolism via the activation of intestinal mucosal functions on the suppression of obesity and inflammation.  It is hoped that elaboration on butyrate may provide fresh insights as to aloe’s immune modulation and chronic inflammation. Potential efficacious role of barbaloin, aloe-emodin, emodin and fermented butyrate of Aloe vera needs further scrutiny and evidence-based documentation through carefully designed research.