Imperatorin Suppresses Degranulation and Eicosanoid Generation in Activated Bone Marrow-Derived Mast Cells.

Imperatorin has been known to exert many biological functions including anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of imperatorin on the production of inflammatory mediators in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC). Imperatorin inhibited degranulation and the generation of eicosanoids (leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)) in IgE/antigen (Ag)-stimulated BMMC.

Discovery and characterization of the tuberculosis drug lead ecumicin.

The new tuberculosis (TB) lead ecumicin (1), a cyclic tridecapeptide, was isolated from Nonomuraea sp. MJM5123, following a high-throughput campaign for anti-TB activity. The large molecular weight of 1599 amu detected by LC-HR-MS precluded the initial inference of its molecular formula.

Ameliorative effects of Monascus pilosus-fermented black soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) on high-fat diet-induced obesity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the antiobesity effects of Monascus pilosus-fermented black soybean (F-BS) in C57BL/6 mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. F-BS (oral, 0.5 and 1.

Suppressive effects of britanin, a sesquiterpene compound isolated from Inulae flos, on mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses.

Mast cells are central players in immediate-type hypersensitvity and inflammatory responses. In the present study, the effects of britanin on the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in mice and on the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and calcium ionophore A23187 (PMACI)-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in human mast cell line (HMC-1) were evaluated. The oral administration of britanin (10-20 mg/kg) decreased the mast cell-mediated PCA reaction in IgE-sensitized mice.

Suppressive effect of tomentosin on the production of inflammatory mediators in RAW264.7 cells.

In this study, tomentosin, a sesquiterpene lactone was isolated from Inulae flos and its biological activities were investigated. The effects of tomentosin on the production of inflammatory mediators as well as on nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation were evaluated in RAW264.7 cells.

Anti-allergic effect of a Korean traditional medicine, Biyeom-Tang on mast cells and allergic rhinitis.

Background: Biyeom-Tang, a medicine prescribed by oriental clinics, has been used for the treatment of the allergic rhinitis (AR). In the present study, an ethanol extract of Biyeom-Tang (EBT) was investigated for anti-allergic properties on bone-marrow derived mast cells (BMMC) and in vivo models.

Methods: The anti-allergic properties of EBT were evaluated by measuring β-Hex release and the production of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) on BMMC in vitro and PCA and OVA-induced AR models in vivo.

Britanin suppresses LPS-induced nitric oxide, PGE2 and cytokine production via NF-κB and MAPK inactivation in RAW 264.7 cells.

Little is known about the biological properties of britanin, which is isolated from the flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos). Based on our previous studies that Inulae Flos had anti-inflammation and anti-asthmatic activities, we tried to find the bioactive compounds from it. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of britanin on the inflammatory mediators as well as on nuclear factor (NF)-кB and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation were evaluated in RAW 264.

Alleviation of OVA-induced airway inflammation by flowers of Inula japonica in a murine model of asthma.

The flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos) have long been used in traditional medicine for treating inflammatory diseases. The effects on OVA-induced asthmatic mice of an Inulae Flos extract (IFE) were evaluated in this study. The anti-asthmatic effects of IFE were determined by observing eosinophil recruitment, airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), Th2 cytokine and IgE levels, and lung histopathology.

Per-N-methylated analogues of an antitumor bicyclic hexapeptide RA-VII.

Penta-N-methyl and hexa-N-methyl analogues of RA-VII, an antitumor bicyclic hexapeptide of plant origin, were prepared. In the former, the nitrogens of d-Ala-1 and Ala-4 and in the latter, those of d-Ala-1, Ala-2, and Ala-4 were methylated under the phase-transfer catalysis conditions. Their solution structures were established by NOESY experiments and the crystal structures by X-ray crystallography.

Flowers of Inula japonica Attenuate Inflammatory Responses.

Background: The flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos) have long been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of Inulae Flos Extract (IFE).

Methods: The anti-inflammatory effects of IFE against nitric oxide (NO), PGE(2), TNF-α, and IL-6 release, as well as NF-κB and MAP kinase activation were evaluated in RAW 264.

Design and synthesis of a bis(cycloisodityrosine) analogue of RA-VII, an antitumor bicyclic hexapeptide.

An analogue of an antitumor bicyclic hexapeptide RA-VII was prepared, in which the Ala-2 and Tyr-3 residues of RA-VII were replaced by a cycloisodityrosine unit. In the crystalline state, the peptide backbone structures and the side-chain conformations at Tyr-3, Tyr-5, and Tyr-6 of this analogue and of RA-II were very similar. This analogue, however, showed much weaker cytotoxicity against P-388 leukemia cells than parent RA-VII.

New cytotoxic bicyclic hexapeptides, RA-XXIII and RA-XXIV, from Rubia cordifolia L.

Two new bicyclic hexapeptides, RA-XXIII and RA-XXIV, were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. (Rubiaceae). Their structures were determined by the analysis of their 2D NMR spectra, chemical methods, and X-ray crystallography.

A novel bicyclic hexapeptide, RA-XVIII, from Rubia cordifolia: structure, semi-synthesis, and cytotoxicity.

A new bicyclic peptide of RA-series, RA-XVIII (3), was isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. Its structure was established to be a hydroxylated derivative of RA-VII by the semi-synthesis of 3 from deoxybouvardin, and its cytotoxicity against P-388 cells was 0.012 microg/mL.