lignans and imperatorin

Effects of compounds isolated from medicinal plants in Korea on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in rat peritoneal macrophages were examined, and mechanism of action of the active constituents was analyzed. The active constituents were as follows; tectorigenin and tectoridin isolated from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, platycodin D isolated from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum, imperatorin isolated from the roots of Angelica dahurica, and hyperin isolated from the roots of Acanthopanax chiisanensis. These compounds inhibit the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), thus inhibiting PGE2 production. The chemically synthesized chalcone derivative, 2'-hydroxy-4'-methoxychalcone, also inhibits PGE2 production by suppressing COX-2 induction. In contrast, taiwanin C isolated from the roots of Acanthopanax chiisanensis inhibited PGE2 production by direct inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; Dinoprostone; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Furocoumarins; Isoflavones; Korea; Lactones; Lignans; Macrophages, Peritoneal; Medicine, East Asian Traditional; Phytotherapy; Quercetin; Rats; Saponins; Triterpenes

High-performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine the contents of the eight marker components liquiritin, naringin, hesperidin, thymol, imperatorin, honokiol, isoimperatorin, and magnolol in the traditional Chinese medicinal preparation Huoxiang-zhengqi liquid. The separation was performed on a C(18) column by stepwise gradient elution with water-methanol-acetonitrile (0.01 min, 68:30:2; 20 min, 60:38:2; 50 min, 34:64:2; 65 min, 34:64:2; 75 min, 28:70:2; 85 min, 68:30:2) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 ml/min, with UV detection at 283 nm. Eight regression equations showed good linear relationships between the peak area ratio of each marker to internal standard and amounts. The recoveries of the markers listed above were 97.4, 98.5, 97.4, 98.6, 97.8, 99.2, 97.0, and 97.5%, respectively. The repeatability and reproducibility (relative standard deviation) of the method were less than 2.2 and 3.0%, respectively.

Topics: Biphenyl Compounds; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Flavanones; Furocoumarins; Glucosides; Hesperidin; Lignans; Reproducibility of Results; Solutions; Thymol