ABSTRACT
The antioxidant activity of extracts from Caesalpinia sappan L. (CSL) was studied in vitro by evaluating the total phenolics, measuring the antioxidant activity by TEAC, measuring the scavenging effects on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and on reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and measuring the inhibitory effect on Cu(2+)-induced human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. The CSL extracts were found to have a potent scavenging activity against all of the reactive species tested, as well as an inhibitory effect on LDL oxidation, especially in the ethyl acetate (EA) fraction. Therefore, we isolated and identified benzylchroman derivatives sappanchalcone (1) and 3'-deoxy-4-O-methylepisappanol (2) from the EA fraction of CSL and their antioxidant activities were evaluated. The studied CSL extracts and the compounds 1 and 2 were revealed to be very effective against the evaluated pro-oxidant species, including ROS and RNS.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/chemistry , Caesalpinia/chemistry , Chalcones/chemistry , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Phenols/chemistry , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Wood/chemistry , Antioxidants/isolation & purification , Chalcones/isolation & purification , Chemical Fractionation , Humans , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Lipoproteins, LDL/analysis , Lipoproteins, LDL/chemistry , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Phenols/analysis , Phenols/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Reactive Nitrogen Species/chemistry , Reactive Oxygen Species/chemistry , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray IonizationABSTRACT
LIGHT acted as a new player in the atherogenesis. The dried, unripe fruit of Evodia Fructus (EF) has long been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and is currently widely used for the treatment of headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, colds and reduced blood circulation. Evodiamine and rutaecarpine are active components of EF. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of evodiamine and rutaecarpine on LIGHT-induced migration in human monocytes. Evodiamine and rutaecarpine decreased the LIGHT-induced production of ROS, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), TNF-alpha, and IL-6, as well as the expression of chemokine receptor (CCR) 1, CCR2 and ICAM-1 and the phosphorylation of the ERK 1/2 and p38 MAPK. Furthermore, NADPH oxidase assembly inhibitor, AEBSF, blocked LIGHT-induced migration and activation of CCR1, CCR2, ICAM-1, and MAPK such as ERK and p38 in a manner similar to evodiamine and rutaecarpine. These findings indicate that the inhibitory effects of evodiamine and rutaecarpine on LIGHT-induced migration and the activation of CCR1, CCR2, ICAM-1, ERK, and p38 MAPK occurs via decreased ROS production and NADPH oxidase activation. Taken together, these results indicate that evodiamine and rutaecarpine have the potential for use as an anti-atherosclerosis agent.
Subject(s)
Indole Alkaloids/pharmacology , Monocytes/drug effects , NADPH Oxidases/drug effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Quinazolines/pharmacology , Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 14/metabolism , Cell Line , Cell Movement/drug effects , Enzyme Activation/drug effects , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/drug effects , Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism , Flow Cytometry , Humans , Immunoblotting , Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/drug effects , Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism , Monocytes/metabolism , NADPH Oxidases/metabolism , Phosphoproteins/drug effects , Phosphoproteins/metabolism , Phosphorylation/drug effects , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/drug effects , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Receptors, CCR2/drug effects , Receptors, CCR2/metabolism , p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/drug effects , p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolismABSTRACT
Draconis Resina (DR) is a type of dragon's blood resin obtained from Daemomorops draco BL. (Palmae). DR has long been used as a traditional Korean herbal medicine, and is currently used in traditional clinics to treat wounds, tumors, diarrhea, and rheumatism, insect bites and other conditions. In this study, we evaluated fractionated extracts of DR to determine if they inhibited the production of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. The results of this analysis revealed that the ethylacetate extract of Draconis Resina (DREA) was more potent than that of other extracts. Moreover, DREA inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-8 and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, treatment with an NADPH oxidase assembly inhibitor, AEBSF, efficiently blocked LPS-induced mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation, as did DREA. These findings indicate that DREA inhibits the production of NO, PGE(2), TNF-alpha, IL-8, and IL-6 by LPS via the inhibition of ROS production, which demonstrates that DREA inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses via the suppression of ROS production. Taken together, these results indicate that DREA has the potential for use as an anti-atherosclerosis agent.