Chemical constituents from Gnaphalium affine and their xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity.

Gnaphalium affine D. Don, a medicinal and edible plant, has been used to treat gout in traditional Chinese medicine and popularly consumed in China for a long time. A detailed phytochemical investigation on the aerial part of G.

The anti-inflammatory activities of an extract and compounds isolated from Platycladus orientalis (Linnaeus) Franco in vitro and ex vivo.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: As a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, leaves of Platycladus orientalis (Linnaeus) Franco (LPO) are used to treat coughs, excessive mucus secretion, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and asthma, etc. The experiments were carried out to investigate their anti-inflammatory properties and mechanisms, which could support the Chinese traditional uses of treating inflammatory airway diseases.

Materials And Methods: The anti-inflammatory activities of the chloroform fraction (CHL) and pure compounds of LPO were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit pro-inflammatory enzymes in vitro, and production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.

Compounds from Platycladus orientalis and their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide and TNF-α production.

Four new compounds: an abietane (1), two isopimarane (2 and 3) diterpenes, and a dihydrobenzofuran neolignan (5), together with a sesquiterpene glycoside (6) firstly isolated from a natural source, and a known phenol glycoside (4) were isolated from leaves of Platycladus orientalis. The structures and relative configurations of these compounds were assigned on the basis of MS, IR, 1D and 2D NMR data. The absolute configuration of compound 1 was determined via density functional theory calculations of its electronic circular dichroism.