Sesquiterpene coumarins from Ferula fukanensis and their proinflammatory cytokine gene expression inhibitory effects

Abstract

Six new sesquiterpene coumarin derivatives, fukanefuromarin H-M (1-6), were isolated from an 80% aqueous methanol extract of the roots of Ferula fukanensis . The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence, particularly heteronuclear multiple-bond connectivity (HMBC) and high-resolution MS. The sesquiterpene coumarin derivatives inhibited nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene expression in a murine macrophage-like cell line (RAW264.7), which was activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and recombinant mouse interferon-γ (IFN-γ). © 2013 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.