Protective constituents against sepsis in mice from the root barks of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica.

In the course of isolating preventive agents against sepsis based on the in vivo assay model, eleven known compounds, (-)-catechin (1), catechin-7-O-β-apiofuranoside (2), catechin-7-O-α-Lrhamnopyranoside (3), catechin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), catechin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), butyl (+)-5'-methoxyisolariciresinol-9'-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (6), lyoniside (7), nudiposide (8), α-nigerose (9), butyl α-D-fructofuranoside (10), and procyanidin B(3) (11) were isolated from the root barks of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. Compounds 2, 6, and 8 significantly protected against sepsis in a mouse model with survival rates of mice exposed to 10 mg/kg of LPS/D-GalN ranged from 80%-100%.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases I and II and cytotoxicity of compounds from Ulmus davidiana var. japonica.

Twenty five compounds including ten triterpenes (1-3, 5-11), six flavonoids (12-15, 24, 25), five lignans (17, 18, 21-23), two butenyl clohexnone glycosides (19-20), one fructofuranoside (16) and one fatty acid (4) were isolated from the roots of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. The structures of those compounds were identified by comparing their physicochemical and spectral data with those of published in literatures.

Anti-inflammatory activity of ethylacetate fraction of Cliona celata.

We evaluated the ability of the ethylacetate fraction of marine sponge, Cliona celata (ECC), harvested from Korean seaside to regulate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells. ECC dose-dependently inhibited both the expression of iNOS protein and mRNA, resulting in decreased production of nitric oxide (NO), with an IC(50) of 80.

Ethanol extracts of Saururus chinensis suppress ovalbumin-sensitization airway inflammation.

Aim Of The Study: The aerial part of Saururus chinensis has been used in folk medicine to treat several inflammatory diseases in China and Korea. Previously, our group reported that anti-asthmatic activity of an ethanol extract of Saururus chinensis (ESC) might occur, in part, via the inhibition of prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)) and leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) production, and degranulation reaction in vitro, as well as through the down-regulation of interleukin (IL)-4 and eotaxin mRNA expression in an in vivo ovalbumin-sensitization animal model. However, the effects of Saururus chinensis on eicosanoid generation, as well as Th2 cytokines and eotaxin production in an in vivo asthma model, have not been fully investigated.

Protective effects of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica against OVA-induced murine asthma model via upregulation of heme oxygenase-1.

Aim Of The Study: Traditionally, the stem and root bark of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica (Ulmaceae) are Korean herbal medicines used for anti-inflammatory and anticancer therapy. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of Ulmus davidiana var.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases I and II and cytotoxicity by lignans from Saururus chinensis.

Thirteen lignans, erythro-austrobailignan-6 (1), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (2), sauchinone (3), 1'-epi-sauchinone (4), saucerneol D (5), manassantin B (6), manassantin A (7), nectandrin B (8), machilin D (9), saucerneol F (10), saucerneol G (11), saucerneol H (12) and saucerneol I (13), were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Saururus chinensis. Among these compounds, 5 showed potent inhibitory activities against DNA topoisomerase I and II, and 5, 6, 7 and 10 showed mild cytotoxicities against HT-29 (IC(50) values; 13, 12, 11, and 10 microM, respectively) and HepG2 cell lines (IC(50) values; 16, 11, 12, and 11 microM, respectively).

Protective effect of lignans against sepsis from the roots of Saururus chinensis.

In the course of isolating preventive agents from sepsis based on the in vivo assay model from the EtOAc extract of the roots of Saururus chinensis, twelve lignans, sarisan (1), erythro-austrobailignan-6 (2), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (3), saucerneol B (4), manassantin B (5), manassantin A (6), rel-(8R,8'R)-dimethyl-(7S,7'R)-bis(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)tetrahydro-furan (7), (+)-saururinone (8), sauchinone (9), sauchinone B (10), nectandrin B (11) and machilin D (12), were isolated. Compounds 9 and 10, at a dose of 10 mg/kg, increased survival rates to 80% from 20% for the control experiment, and decreased the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in mice administered LPS/D-GalN.

Two new benzofurans from Gastrodia elata and their DNA topoisomerases I and II inhibitory activities.

Two new benzofurans, 1-furan-2-yl-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanone (1) and 5-(4-hydroxybenzyloxymethyl)-furan-2-carbaldehyde (2), together with five known compounds, 4-hydroxybenzyl methyl ether (3), 5-(hydroxymethyl)-furfural (4), gastrodin (5), beta-sitosterol (6) and beta-sitosterol glucoside (7) were isolated from the rhizome of Gastrodia elata Blume. In DNA topoisomerase I and II inhibition assays in vitro at a concentration of 20 microM, 1 showed potent inhibitory activity, 66% and 71% inhibition, respectively, compared to the positive control compounds, camptothecin and etoposide, 71% and 22% inhibition, respectively. All of these compounds exhibited weak or no cytotoxicities against human colon carcinoma cell line (HT-29), human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG-2).