dihydroagarofuran and Inflammation

Twenty seven dihydro-β-agarofuran sesquiterpenoids, including fifteen new congeners, wilforsinines I-W (1-9, 12-13, 24-27), and twelve known compounds were isolated from the dried root of Tripterygium wilfordii. The structures of the new sesquiterpenoids, wilforsinines I-W, were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis. The anti-inflammatory activity of isolates 1-27 were evaluated by examining their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Among them, wilforsinine K (3) and angulatin M (16) exerted optimal inhibitory effects on the production of NO in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, Western blot results revealed that their anti-inflammatory activities were correlated with the suppression of the expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and down-regulation of the level of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Inflammation; Lipopolysaccharides; Mice; Molecular Structure; NF-kappa B; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Phosphorylation; RAW 264.7 Cells; Sesquiterpenes; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tripterygium