Nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 synthesis inhibitory activities of diarylheptanoids from the barks of Alnus japonica steudel.

Nine known diarylheptanoids (1-9) isolated from the barks of Alnus japonica were evaluated for their inhibitory activities on nitric oxide (NO) and prostagrandin E2 (COX-2) production in interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells in vitro. The NO and COX-2 levels were moderately reduced by the addition of compounds (1-9).