ABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the bio-affinities of ligustilide and butylidenephthalide to rat aortic smooth muscle cells and the inhibitory effects of them on bFGF-stimulated proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>VSMCs were cultured from rat aorta pectoralis and identified by an immunohistochemical method. The bio-affinities between solute (ligustilide or butylidenephthalide) and cell membrane were measured by rat aortic cell membrane chromatography (CMC). The inhibitory effects of ligustilide and butylidenephthalide on bFGF-stimulated VSMC proliferation were evaluated by MIT colorimetric method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both ligustilide and butylidenephthalide had selective affinities to rat aortic smooth muscle cell as the same as verapamil, one of the calcium ion antagonists. They could potently inhibit the bFGF-stimulated VSMC proliferation at the concentrations of 5.5 and 11.1 micromol x L(-1), separately (P < 0.05), but had no effects on the normal VSMC growth.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both ligustilide and butylidenephthalide can inhibit the abnormal proliferation of VSMC induced by bFGF.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Male , Rats , 4-Butyrolactone , Pharmacology , Aorta, Thoracic , Cell Biology , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 , Ligusticum , Chemistry , Muscle, Smooth, Vascular , Cell Biology , Myocytes, Smooth Muscle , Cell Biology , Phthalic Anhydrides , Pharmacology , Plants, Medicinal , Chemistry , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the chemical constituents of Zanthoxylum nitidum.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Column chromatography on Silica gel and Sephadex LH - 20, and recrystallization were applied for the isolation and purification of the constituents. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis, chemical evidences and by comparison with the data reported in literature.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>From the CHCl3 fraction and n-butanol fraction of the EtOH extract of the roots of Z. nitidum, 10 compounds were isolated and identified as 2, 4-dihydroxypyrimidine (1), syringic acid (2) , 2, 6-dimethoxy-1, 4-benzoquinone (3) , 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4), ethylparaben (5), (Z)-3-(2, 3, 4-trimethoxyphenyl) acrylic acid (6), 5, 6, 7-trimethoxycoumarin (7), stigmast-9 (11) -en-3-ol (8), daucosterol (9), beta-sitosterol (10).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compounds 1-9 were isolated and identified from the roots of Z. nitidum for the first time. Furthermore, we note here the first isolation of compound 6 as a natural product.</p>