Anti-inflammatory activities for the extracts and carpinontriols from branches of Carpinus turczaninowii

Abstract

Development of natural products possessing anti-inflammatory activities has been the focus of research in our laboratory. In this study, the extract from Carpinus turczaninowii branches was studied and their anti-inflammatory constituents were identified. The aqueous ethanol extract was fractionated successively to afford n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous layers. Upon anti-inflammatory tests for Nitric Oxide (NO) production, using RAW 264.7 cells, the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited potent inhibitory activities without causing cell toxicities. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to further purification to isolate carpinontriol A and carpinontriol B as active constituents. These diarylheptanoid compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant. The isolates reduced the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced secretion of NO and IL-6 productions in a dose-dependent manner in RAW 264.7 cells which indicates their anti-inflammatory effects. Based on these results, it was suggested that C. turczaninowii extracts containing carpinontriols A andB could be considered potential anti-inflammatory agents for pharmaceuticals or cosmetics. © 2013 Asian Network for Scientific Information.