euscaphic-acid and Disease-Models--Animal

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex and multifactorial skin disease characterized by skin inflammation and intense pruritus. There are many commercially available treatments such as topical corticosteroids and immunosuppressants to treat of AD, but their effectiveness is limited, and frequent use of these treatments can cause serious side effects. Therefore, the development of new therapeutic agents is necessary for the treatment of AD. Hence, an alternative agent that was derived from natural products that are effective and safe for AD treatment was investigated using experimental models. The biological activity of euscaphic acid has anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antioxidant effects. Despite the various biomedical properties of euscaphic acid, its therapeutic effects on AD have not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the effects of euscaphic acid on skin inflammation and pruritus in AD mouse model. The effects of euscaphic acid were investigated in activated human epidermal keratinocytes and leukemia T lymphoblast cell lines, and Dermatophagoides farina extract and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced AD mouse model. Euscaphic acid ameliorated AD properties, such as the expression of inflammatory cytokines and activation of transcription factors. In addition, euscaphic acid reduced critical factors for pruritus such as immunoglobulin E hyperproduction, mast cell invasion, and interleukin-33 expression. Taken together, euscaphic acid could be a potent therapeutic agent for the treatment of AD.

Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Dermatitis, Atopic; Dinitrochlorobenzene; Disease Models, Animal; Inflammation; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Pruritus; Skin; Triterpenes

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the combined fruits, leaves, and twigs (fruiting branches) of Callicarpa americana, collected from a plot in a forested area in southern Florida, led to the isolation of six new clerodane diterpenes (1-6) and eight known compounds. The structures of 1-6 [12(S),16xi-dihydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-15,16-olide (1), 12(S)-hydroxy-16xi-methoxycleroda-3,13-dien-15,16-olide (2), 12(S)-hydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-15,16-olide (3), 16xi-hydroxycleroda-3,11(E),13-trien-15,16-olide (4), 3beta,12(S)-dihydroxycleroda-4(18),13-dien-15,16-olide (5), and 12(S)-hydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-16,15-olide (6)] were elucidated by interpretation of spectroscopic data and chemical methods. The absolute configuration at C-12 in 1 and 3 was ascertained using the Mosher ester technique. The cytotoxicity of all isolates was tested against a panel of human cancer cell lines, and compounds 1, 4, and 6, and the known compounds genkwanin, 16xi-hydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-15,16-olide, and 2-formyl-16xi-hydroxy-3-A-norcleroda-2,13-dien-15,16-olide were active (ED50 <5 microg/mL). However, 1 was found to be inactive against human cancer cells implanted in mice using a hollow-fiber tumor model.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Callicarpa; Disease Models, Animal; Diterpenes, Clerodane; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Florida; Fruit; Humans; Mice; Molecular Structure; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Plants, Medicinal