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Stauntonia hexaphylla (Lardizabalaceae) is an important medicinal plant in Korea, Japan, and China. Its leaves are used to treat many diseases because of their analgesic, sedative, and diuretic effects; however, there are few reports on their chemical constituents and biological activities. This study divided an ethanol extract into dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and water fractions. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extracts led to the isolation of seven compounds (1–7). To our knowledge, this is the first report of 1–7 from S. hexaphylla. The anti-inflammatory effects were investigated by suppressing cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in Western blots. The ethanol extract (20 µg/mL), DCM fraction (20 µg/mL), and compound 1 (10 µM) decreased COX-2 and iNOS expression significantly in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that S. hexaphylla leaves and compound 1 are useful candidates for treating inflammatory and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT After methanol extract (CUP-2) with intestinal immune system-modulating activity through Peyer's patch was prepared from Citrus unshiu peel, CUP-2C-2-2 was purified by solvent partitioning, silica gel 60 and Sephadex LH-20 chromatographies (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden). Ultraviolet-visible spectral, 1H/13C-NMR, and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry analyses suggested that CUP-2C-2-2 was identified to flavonoid glycoside (5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone linked by glucose) with molecular weight of 725 Da. When the active chloroform layer (CUP-2C) fractionated from CUP-2 was orally administered in mice, the potent activity was observed on the fifth day of 2.0 g/kg body weight/day (1.59-fold of the saline control). Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-6 contents in the culture medium of Peyer's patch cell were also significantly increased (1.80- and 2.20-fold, respectively) compared with the saline control. These results suggested that flavonoid glycoside from C. unshiu peel might stimulate Peyer's patch and produce the multifunctional hematopoietic growth factors such as GM-CSF and IL-6 followed by proliferation of bone marrow cells. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS C. unshiu peel is widely used as the traditional herbal prescription or tea in East Asia. Since the early 1980s, many researchers have been studying the physiologically active substances from citrus fruit peel for the purpose of exploring their more valuable utilization. Current work is focused on low-molecular-weight constituents with intestinal immune system modulating activity through Peyer's patch from citrus peel. It is clearly shown that the purified active substance (CUP-2C-2-2) is characterized as flavonoid glycoside. When the active fraction (CUP-2C) was orally administered in mice, production of hematopoietic growth factors from Peyer's patch cells was stimulated and proliferation of bone marrow cells was induced by these growth factors influxed via systemic circulation. This conclusion supports the rationality of citrus peels as a potential source of biological response modifier for food supplementation or functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various mixtures were prepared depending on the mixing ratio of Scutellaria baicalensis hot water extract (SB-HW), and Chrysanthemum morifolium ethanol extract (CM-E) and their anti-inflammatory activity were compared. Among them, SB-HW (80 μg/mL)/CM-E (120 μg/mL) or SB-HW (40 μg/mL)/CM-E (160 μg/mL) significantly inhibited LPS-stimulated NO and IL-6 levels in RAW 264.7 cells. The SB-HW (80 μg/mL)/CM-E (120 μg/mL) mixture, which was determined as active mixture, significantly reduced MUC5AC secretion in PMA and LPS-induced NCI-H292 cells. The active mixture also reduced the production of PGE 2 and IL-8 in PMA-induced A549 cells. LC-MS/MS analysis showed that the active mixture was composed of high contents of flavone glycosides, such as baicalin and cynaroside. Western blot analysis indicated that the active mixture suppressed phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38, associating with the inhibition of MAPK signaling. Taken together, our results suggest that the active mixture could be applied as a new anti-inflammatory herbal medicine., Abbreviations: JNK: c-Jun N-terminal kinases; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CM: Chrysanthemum morifolium ; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2; ERK: extracellular-signal-regulated kinase; IL-6: interleukin-6; IL-8: interleukin-8; IL-12: interleukin-12; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; NO: nitric oxide; NK- κB: nuclear factor kappa B; p38: p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases; PBS: phosphate buffered saline; PMA: phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate; SB: Scutellaria baicalensis ; PGE 2 : prostaglandin E2; TBST: Tris-buffered saline containing 0.1% Tween 20; TIC: total ion chromatogram; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha.