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In order to investigate essential oils with biological activity from local wild plants, two valerianaceous species, Nardostachys chinensis and Valeriana officinalis, were screened for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The essential oils were obtained from the roots and rhizomes of the two plants by hydro-distillation, and were analyzed for their chemical composition by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Calarene (25.31%), aristolone (13.35%), α-selinene (7.32%) and β-maaliene (6.70%) were the major compounds of the 23 identified components which accounted for 92.76% of the total oil of N. chinensis. Patchoulol (16.75%), α-pinene (14.81%), and β-humulene (8.19%) were the major compounds among the 20 identified components, which accounted for 88.11% of the total oil of V. officinalis. Both oils were rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons as well as their oxygenated derivatives. Essential oils were shown to have broad spectrum antibacterial activity with MIC values that ranged from 62.5 μg/mL to 400 μg/mL, and IC50 values from 36.93 μg/mL to 374.72 μg/mL. The oils were also shown to have moderate antifungal activity to Candida albicans growth as well as inhibition of spore germination of Magnaporthe oryzae. Two essential oils were assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching and ferrozine-ferrous ions assays, respectively, to show moderate antioxidant activity. Results suggest that the isolated essential oils could be used for future development of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nardochinoid B (NAB) is a new compound isolated from Nardostachys chinensis. Although our previous study reported that the NAB suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 cells, the specific mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action of NAB remains unknown. Thus, we examined the effects of NAB against LPS-induced inflammation. In this study, we found that NAB suppressed the LPS-induced inflammatory responses by restraining the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) proteins and mRNA instead of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein and mRNA in RAW264.7 cells, implying that NAB may have lower side effects compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Besides, NAB upregulated the protein and mRNA expressions of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 when it exerted its anti-inflammatory effects. Also, NAB restrained the production of NO by increasing HO-1 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Thus, it is considered that the anti-inflammatory effect of NAB is associated with an induction of antioxidant protein HO-1, and thus NAB may be a potential HO-1 inducer for treating inflammatory diseases. Moreover, our study found that the inhibitory effect of NAB on NO is similar to that of the positive drug dexamethasone, suggesting that NAB has great potential for developing new drugs in treating inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]