TWO researchers from the University of Santo Tomas won an award from the National Academy of Science and Technology for their work on “Tagbak,” a plant endemic to the Philippines that has the potential to alleviate osteoarthritis.

Mae Lee Tumaneng of the UST Graduate School’s Master of Science in Pharmacy program and Assoc. Prof. Agnes L. Castillo of the Faculty of Pharmacy conducted the study entitled “Modulation of oxidative stress and biological markers of osteoarthritis by the Philippine endemic plant Alpinia elegans (C. Presl) K. Schum leaf extracts.”

“The study aimed to address the gap in medications available for osteoarthritis, which only has medications for improving functionality and quality of life,” UST said.

“The researchers looked into the potential of Tagbak, traditionally used for musculoskeletal diseases, to be chrondroprotective, in that it will help prevent or delay cartilage degradation.

Thus, Tagbak leaf extracts were subjected to various levels of assessment and analysis,” it added.

Tumaneng and Castillo attributed the chrondroprotective property of Tagbak leaf extracts “to its ability to inhibit reactive oxygen species, while maintaining the antioxidant enzymes.”

“This leads to the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and matrix degrading enzymes due to the presence of putative compounds, specifically polyphenols and flavonoids,” they said.

Their work was supported by the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences.