Comparison of the anti-inflammatory activities of furanocoumarins from the roots of Angelica dahurica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31989/bchd.v4i12.866Abstract
Background: The roots of Angelica dahurica Bentham et Hooker filius ex Franchet et Savatier (Apiaceae) have traditionally been used for inflammatory skin diseases. A. dahurica roots (Byakushi) contain furanocoumarins, such as imperatorin and byakangelicin. To elucidate which constituents are responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects, we evaluated the potency of crude A. dahurica root extract fractions by monitoring the production of the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide (NO) in hepatocytes.
Methods: The dried roots of A. dahurica were collected in South Korea and extracted with methanol. The resulting extract was fractionated into ethyl acetate (EtOAc)-soluble, n-butanol-soluble, and water-soluble fractions. Primary cultured rat hepatocytes were treated with interleukin (IL)-1β and each fraction for 8 h, and then the NO production and lactate dehydrogenase activity in the medium were measured. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was detected by Western blotting, and its mRNA expression level was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
Results: Among the three fractions, the EtOAc-soluble fraction markedly suppressed NO production without showing cytotoxicity and decreased iNOS expression in hepatocytes. From this hydrophobic fraction, we isolated five furanocoumarins: isoimperatorin, imperatorin, phellopterin, oxypeucedanin, and oxypeucedanin methanolate. Phellopterin and oxypeucedanin methanolate significantly suppressed NO production and reduced the mRNA expression of iNOS and tumor necrosis factor α. In contrast, the other three constituents did not affect NO production. Comparison of their chemical structures suggests that a methoxy group at carbon 5 and a side chain at carbon 8 in the furanocoumarin skeleton may be essential for NO production suppression.
Conclusion: These data imply that phellopterin and oxypeucedanin methanolate, which are hydrophobic furanocoumarins, may contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of A. dahurica roots by suppressing iNOS gene expression.
Keywords: Inflammation, nitric oxide, hepatocyte, coumarin, Kampo medicine
Veröffentlicht
Ausgabe
Rubrik
Lizenz
Copyright (c) 2021 FFC/Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease
Dieses Werk steht unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht-kommerziell 4.0 International.
Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.
By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.