Echinacea and Ginger combination reduces inflammatory responses of preeclamptic placental cells

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-related condition characterized by high blood pressure and, in some cases, proteinuria and multiorgan dysfunction, with high risk of mother and newborn mortality. Women affected by PE often experience an exacerbated inflammatory response, with elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines detected both systemically and locally in the placenta. Echinacea angustifolia and Zingiber officinale are natural compounds with well-documented anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Due to their minimal adverse effects for mother and fetus, they are often used during pregnancy; however, limited information is available regarding their impact on placental cells. An in vitro approach was employed using qPCR and whole-cell ELISA to study the anti-inflammatory effects of the combination of Echinacea and Ginger (ECHI + GIN) on endothelial cell lines (HUVECs) and a monocytic cell line (THP-1). The findings were further validated in primary endothelial cells isolated from preeclamptic decidual tissues (DECs-PE). We did not observe a synergistic effect between the two compounds, particularly in endothelial cells. While these compounds influenced THP-1, these effects were markedly attenuated by the cultivation in gravid serum. ECHI + GIN treatment downregulated the chronic inflammatory response, acting on the expression of CCL2/MCP-1 and VCAM1, which are involved in macrophage recruitment.