Water-soluble constituents of amomum seed. (1/9)

From the water-soluble portion of the methanolic extract of the amomum seed (seed of Amomum xanthioides WALL.), which has been used as a medicine for stomachic and digestive disorders, ten compounds, including two new and three newly isolated monoterpenoid glucosides and a newly isolated octane-tetrol, were isolated. Their structures were determined by spectral investigation.  (+info)

New diarylheptanoids from Amomum muricarpum ELMER. (2/9)

Two new diarylheptanoids, designated muricarpones A and B, together with three known diarylheptanoids, 1,7-di-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-one, 1-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4''-hydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-one, and 1,7-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-one, were isolated from the rhizomes of Amomum muricarpum ELMER (Zingiberaceae). Their structures were determined using spectroscopic analyses.  (+info)

Potential anticancer activity of naturally occurring and semisynthetic derivatives of aculeatins A and B from Amomum aculeatum. (3/9)

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Effect of lipid extracted from tsao-ko (Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire) on digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant activity, plasma and liver lipids, and blood glucose levels of mice. (4/9)

Lipids extracted from tsao-ko were separated into three fractions with silica gel column chromatography and fed to mice (3 mo old) for 90 d to clarify their inhibitory activity on digestive enzyme activity. The diets contained the following: control--no tsao-ko, 0.05% total lipid of tsao-ko (TL), 0.0109% chloroform fraction (CF), 0.0245% acetone fraction (AF), or 0.00365% methanol fraction (MeF). Although CF and AF slightly inhibited the activities of alpha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, and lipase, intakes of these fractions had little influence on plasma and liver lipid concentrations when compared with the control diet. MeF did not inhibit alpha-glucosidase but had DPPH radical scavenging activity and the mice fed this fraction had the most marked reduction in plasma glucose and TBARS concentrations compared with the other diet groups. These results suggest that the fat-soluble polar components of tsao-ko contain an active component that might be associated with decreased plasma glucose and TBARS concentrations in mice.  (+info)

The effect of methanol extracts of tsao-ko (Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire) on digestive enzyme and antioxidant activity in vitro, and plasma lipids and glucose and liver lipids in mice. (5/9)

Our previous study showed that tsao-ko intake can lower plasma and liver triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations and has hypoglycemic and antioxidant activity in mice. This study involved separating two major fractions (A and B) from the methanol extracts (MeX) of tsao-ko using silica gel column chromatography, and then determining the effect of the fractions in vivo and in vitro to clarify the most effective components of tsao-ko. An intake of MeX and A fraction statistically significantly reduced body lipids and plasma thiobarbitutic acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentrations compared with the control and inhibited lipase and alpha-glucosidase activities. These reductions were not observed in mice fed the B fraction and these inhibitions of B fraction were mild compared with MeX and A fraction. The plasma and liver TG concentrations of each fraction group did not show significant differences compared with the control. The [M-H](+) and maximum UV absorption of the A fraction were 291 m/z and 279 nm, respectively. The peak of A fraction appeared at a similar time to the epicatechin standard in the LC/MS/MS analysis and the MS/MS spectrum of the A fraction was similar to that of the epicatechin standard. It was concluded that the most effective component of tsao-ko for body lipid reduction and hypoglycemic and antioxidant activity was contained in the polar fraction and the evidence suggested that this component could be epicatechin. However, the strongest TG lowering components of tsao-ko may be methanol insoluble.  (+info)

Role of the Chinese herbal medicine xianhuayin on the reversal of premalignant mucosal lesions in the golden hamster buccal pouch. (6/9)

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Anti-asthmatic effects of an Amomum compactum extract on an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine asthma model. (7/9)

Despite ongoing intensive asthma research, the incidence of asthma is increasing worldwide. We investigated in this study the effects of Amomum compactum on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in a mouse model, and studied the possible mechanism for its anti-asthmatic action. Our data show that an A. compactum treatment markedly decreased the number of infiltrating eosinophils and the hypersecretion of mucus when compared with the effects on mice treated with OVA alone. The A. compactum treatment dose-dependently decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and T helper (Th)2 cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and a high dose of A. compactum effectively reduced the level of total immunoglobulin (Ig)E in the serum. Taken together, these data indicate that the administration of A. compactum may have potential therapeutic value when used as an adjuvant for the immunomodulatory treatment of allergic asthma.  (+info)

Amomum villosum induces longitudinal bone growth in adolescent female rats. (8/9)

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Amomum villosum on longitudinal bone growth. METHODS: Adolescent female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups and treated for 4 days: control (distilled water, p.o.), recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH; 100 microg/kg, s.c.), and A. villosum (500 mg/kg, p.o.) groups. On day 3, tetracycline (20 g/kg, i.p.) was injected for growth plate identification. On days 2, and 4, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) (50 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected to label proliferating cells. On day 5, tibias were dissected and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, dehydrated, and sectionedfor immunohistochemistry and histomorphometry. RESULTS: The rate of bone growth in the A. villosum and rhGH groups increased to (410 +/- 44) and (389 +/- 46) microm/day (P<0.01), respectively, as compared with the control (330.7 +/- 34.7) microm/day. The thickness of the growth plates also increased to (591 +/- 37) and (598 +/- 32) microm, respectively, as compared with the control (524 +/- 89) microm (P<0.001). The number of BrdU-positive cells in the chondrocytes of the A. villosum and rhGH groups was also significantly higher (126 +/- 24) and (143 +/- 18) cells/mm2, respectively) than in the control (109 +/- 25) mm2 (P<0.05). Insulin-like growth factor-1 and bone morphogenetic protein-2 in the A. villosum and rhGH groups were highly expressed in the growth plate as compared with the control samples, indicating increased bone formation. CONCLUSIONS: A. villosum could be used to treat growth retardation during adolescence.  (+info)