Biflavonoid-rich fraction from Daphne pseudomezereum var. koreana Hamaya exerts anti-inflammatory effect in an experimental animal model of allergic asthma.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Daphne pseudomezereum var. koreana Hamaya is distributed in the Gangwon-do of South Korea and is traditionally used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. AIM OF THE STUDY: We investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of biflavonoid-rich fraction (BF) obtained from an extract of D. pseudomezereum leaves on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neochamaejasmin B (NB) and chamaejasmin D (CD) were spectroscopically characterized as major components of BF obtained from the leaves of D. pseudomezereum. RAW264.7 cells pretreated with NB, CD and BF and activated by LPS (500 ng/ml) were used to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of these materials in vitro. To evaluate the protective effect of BF on allergic asthma, female BALB/c mice were sensitized to OVA by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection and treated with BF by oral administration (15 or 30 mg/kg). RESULTS: Pretreatment with BF inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α and IL-6, and led to upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Orally administered BF significantly inhibited the recruitment of eosinophils and the production of IL-5, IL-6, IL-13 and MCP-1 as judged by the analysis of BALF from OVA-induced asthma animal model. BF also decreased the levels of IgE in the serum of asthmatic mice. BF suppressed the influx of inflammatory cells into nearby airways and the hypersecretion of mucus by the airway epithelium of asthmatic mice. In addition, the increase in Penh in asthmatic mice was reduced by BF administration. Furthermore, BF led to Nrf2 activation and HO-1 induction in the lungs of mice. CONCLUSIONS: These data have shown the anti-asthmatic effects of BF, and therefore we expect that BF may be a potential candidate as a natural drug/nutraceutical for the prevention and treatment of allergic asthma.

NPS2143 Inhibits MUC5AC and Proinflammatory Mediators in Cigarette Smoke Extract (CSE)-Stimulated Human Airway Epithelial Cells.

Mucus overproduction is a fundamental hallmark of COPD that is caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. MUC5AC is one of the main mucin genes expressed in the respiratory epithelium, and its transcriptional upregulation often correlates with increased mucus secretion. Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) antagonists have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective role of NPS2143, a selective CaSR antagonist on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-stimulated NCI-H292 mucoepidermoid human lung cells. Treatment of NPS2143 significantly inhibited the expression of MUC5AC in CSE-stimulated H292 cells. NPS2143 reduced the expression of MMP-9 in CSE-stimulated H292 cells. NPS2143 also decreased the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α in CSE-stimulated H292 cells. Furthermore, NPS2143 attenuated the activation of MAPKs (JNK, p38, and ERK) and inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in CSE-stimulated H292 cells. These results indicate that NPS2143 had a therapeutic potential in COPD.

Anti-allergic flavones from Arthraxon hispidus.

Bioactivity-guided fractionation for an EtOAc-soluble fraction of methanolic extract of Arthraxon hispidus, using primary cell assay with bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC), led to an isolation of six new flavones and nine known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established by one dimensional (1D)- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data, as luteolin 8-C-ß-kerriopyranoside (1), luteolin 8-acetic acid methyl ester (2), 7-methyl-luteolin 8-C-ß-(6-deoxyxylo-3-uloside) (3), apigenin 8-C-α-fucopyranoside (4), apigenin 8-C-ß-fucopyranoside (5) and luteolin 8-C-ß-fucopyranoside (6). All the isolates were evaluated for inhibitory activities on interleukin-6 release in the primary cultures using BMMC. Of the tested compounds, compounds 2, 3 and 10 were found to inhibit interleukin-6 release. Furthermore, compound 2 displayed inhibitory activity against prostaglandin D2, leukotriene C4, and ß-hexosaminidase releases.

Isolation of coumarins and ferulate from the roots of Angelica purpuraefolia and the antitumor activity of khellactone.

A new coumarin, hydroxylomatin (1), was isolated from the CHCl(3)-soluble fraction of the roots of Angelica purpuraefolia, along with one ferulate (2) and three other known coumarins (3-5) including khellactone (3). The structure of hydroxylomatin (1) was determined to be 3'beta,5'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (1) by spectroscopic means including 2D-NMR. The modified Mosher's method was used to determine the chiral center at C-1 of compound 2. Khellactone (3) is a major compound of the roots of A. purpuraefolia. This study also examined the antitumor activity of khellactone (3) using a LLC mouse lung carcinoma in the BDF-1 mice and a NCI-H460 human lung carcinoma in a human tumor xenograft model in nude mice. This compound (3) inhibited LLC tumor growth with a T/C (mean value of treated group/mean value of control group) value of 12.9% at a dose of 5 mg/kg and 33.2% at a dose of 10 mg/kg, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, it suppressed the growth of NCI-H460 tumor cells, accounting for 81.4% at a dose of 10 mg/kg in nude mice.