cn5001205_si_001.pdf (473.76 kB)
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Iridoid and Catechol Derivatives from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver
journal contribution
posted on 2014-09-17, 00:00 authored by Dan Luo, Terry
C. T. Or, Cindy L. H. Yang, Allan S. Y. LauNeuroinflammation
and pro-inflammatory mediators play key roles
in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including stroke,
which account for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality
worldwide. Recently, the unsatisfactory pharmacotherapy and side effects
of the drugs led to the development of alternative medicine for treating
these diseases. Du Zhong (DZ), Eucommia ulmoides Oliver
leaves, is a commonly used herb in the therapy of stroke in China.
We hypothesize that the components from DZ inhibit neuroinflammation.
In this study, DZ was extracted and the bioactive fractions with inhibitory
effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production
in BV-2 microglial cells were further separated using chromatography.
Two purified bioactive compounds, genipin (compound C) and 4-(1,2-dimethoxyethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
(compound F), were isolated and identified after spectroscopic analysis.
The results showed that they inhibited LPS-stimulated NO and tumor
necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production. Genipin exerted its
anti-inflammatory effects through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, whereas
compound F inhibited phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein
kinase (MAPK). In conclusion, genipin and compound F have potential
for developing into new drugs for treating neurodegenerative diseases.