ABSTRACT
Achillea alpina is widely distributed in Korea and is often used as a folk medicine for stomach disorders. Although a previous study isolated antioxidant compounds (flavonoid O-glucoside, sesquiterpene) from this plant, no systematic study of its chemical constituents had been reported. The present study aimed to identify the phytochemicals present in a methanol extract of A. alpina, assess their potential antioxidant activities inâ vitro, and determine their effects on melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Column chromatographic separation of aqueous fractions of A. alpina led to the isolation of 17 compounds. The chemical structures of these compounds were determined using spectroscopic data from electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to identify compounds 2-10 and 12-17 in A. alpina. Furthermore, compound 6 possessed powerful antioxidant activity, while compound 15 suppressed intracellular tyrosinase activity and thus reduced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells. Therefore, our research suggested that these naturally occurring compounds have the potential to reduce oxidative stress and promote skin whitening. Further investigations will be required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of these compounds.
Subject(s)
Achillea/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Biphenyl Compounds/antagonists & inhibitors , Picrates/antagonists & inhibitors , Plant Components, Aerial/chemistry , Animals , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification , Antioxidants/chemistry , Antioxidants/isolation & purification , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Mice , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
Phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Iris minutiaurea (Iridaceae) using column chromatography led to the isolation of a new xanthone glycoside, 1-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-xanthone-6-O-ß-D-glucoside (1), together with one known flavonoid glycoside (2). The structure of this new compound was elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic, including 1D (1H, 13C), 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC), and high resolution fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric (HR-FAB-MS) data and enzyme hydrolysis. We found that compounds 1 and 2 significantly suppressed production of NO, and pro-inflammatory cytokine in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that compound 1 and 2 have anti-inflammatory activity related with production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and NO in macrophages, and then compound 1 were more efficient than compound 2 in lowering the level of proinflammatory cytokine.