Seven new bifuranocoumarins, dahuribirin A-G, from Japanese Bai Zhi.
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Five new spirobifuranocoumarins, dahuribirins A-E (1-5) and two new bifuranocoumarins, dahuribirins F and G (6 and 7) were isolated from Japanese Bai Zhi (the root of Angelica dahurica Benth. et Hook. var. dahurica Benth. et Hook.) and their structures were established by chemical and spectral means. (+info)
Astragali and Angelica protect the kidney against ischemia and reperfusion injury and accelerate recovery.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Astragali and Angelica (A&A) of Chinese herbs in acute renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, and the related intracellular signal transduction mechanism. METHODS: Acute ischemic renal injury in rats was induced by clamping in renal pedicel for 45 minutes. Rats in therapy group were given a single dose (2 ml/day) of A&A for 3 days before clamping, and then continued for another 3 days. Forty-five minutes after clamping and at different reperfusion time, serum creatinine (Scr) and renal pathological changes were taken and compared in both groups. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positive cells were detected by immunohistochemistry. Extracelluar regulating kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity was assayed by specific substrate phosphorylation with immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: At the 24th hour of reperfusion, Scr was lower in A&A group than that in the control. Much less necrotic tubular cells, casts, and more PCNA-positive cells were found in A&A group. ERK activity decreased after clamping, and recovered at 5 minutes of reperfusion. There was no difference between the two groups. JNK activity did not change after ischemia, but increased at 5 minutes and peaked at 20 minutes of reperfusion. JNK activity was significantly higher in A&A group than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: A&A protected kidney against ischemic insult and accelerated both functional and histological recovery after acute renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, which may associate with the change of JNK signaling pathway. (+info)
Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in U937 foam cells and inhibitory effect of imperatorin.
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AIM: To investigate the expression level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in a macrophage-derived foam cell model from human U937 cell line and the inhibitory effect of imperatorin (IMP) on the ICAM-1. METHODS: U937 cells were incubated with oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) 80 mg/L for 48 h and a macrophage-derived foam cell model was established. The medium was pretreated with different concentrations of IMP (0, 25, 50, 100 micromol/L). ICAM-1 protein expression in cells was measured with Western blotting; ICAM-1 mRNA level in cells was measured by Northern blotting. RESULTS: After incubated with ox-LDL, ICAM-1 expression level increased greatly. The increase in ICAM-1 protein level and mRNA level was estimated to be about 15-fold and 10-fold. When the cells were pretreated with imperatorin (50, 100 micromol/L), the increase of ICAM-1 in foam cells were remarkably inhibited. Especially when pretreated with IMP 100 micromol/L, the ICAM-1 protein level decreased by 79 % and the mRNA level decreased by 74 % each compared to the level of foam cells. CONCLUSION: After incubated with ox-LDL in vitro, the U937 foam cells showed an enhanced ICAM-1 expression compared with normal U937 cells. IMP could inhibit the expression of ICAM-1 in U937 foam cells. (+info)
Antinociceptive profiles of crude extract from roots of Angelica gigas NAKAI in various pain models.
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To characterize the antinociceptive profiles of Angelica gigas NAKAI (ANG; Korean angelica), methanol extract from the dried roots of ANG was made and mice were administered orally at the various doses (from 0.25 to 3 g/kg). ANG produced the increased latencies of the tail-flick and hot-plate paw-licking responses in a dose-dependent manner. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, ANG dose-dependently decreased writhing numbers. Moreover, the cumulative response time of nociceptive behaviors induced by intraplantar formalin injection was reduced during both the 1st and the 2nd phases in a dose-dependent manner in ANG-treated mice. Furthermore, oral administration of ANG did not cause licking, scratching and biting responses induced by TNF-alpha (100 pg), IFN-gamma (100 pg) or IL-1beta (100 pg) injected intrathecally (i.t.), especially at higher dose (3 g/kg). Additionally, in ANG treated mice, the cumulative nociceptive response time for i.t. administration of substance P or capsaicin was dose-dependently diminished. Finally, nociceptive responses elicited by i.t. injection of glutamate (20 microg), N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (60 ng), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (13 ng) or kainic acid (12 ng) were decreased by oral administration of ANG. Our results suggest that ANG produces antinociception via acting on the central nervous system and shows antinociceptive profiles in various pain models, especially inflammatory pain. (+info)
Tyrosinase-inhibitory furanocoumarin from Angelica dahurica.
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An extract of the roots of Angelica dahurica BENTH. et HOOK. (Umbelliferae) showed potential tyrosinase inhibition against mushroom tyrosinase. Employing a bioassay-linked HPLC method, followed by semipreparative HPLC, the active principle was isolated and characterized as 9-hydroxy-4-methoxypsoralen. (+info)
Determination of the effectiveness of components of the herbal medicine Toki-Shakuyaku-San and fractions of Angelica acutiloba in improving the scopolamine-induced impairment of rat's spatial cognition in eight-armed radial maze test.
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The improving effects of various components of Toki-Shakuyaku-San (TSS) and fractions isolated from Angelica acutiloba Radix (Toki) on scopolamine-induced spatial memory impairment were investigated in eight-armed radial maze. The scopolamine-induced memory impairment was characterized by prominent increase of error choices in addition to decreased correct choices. Toki, Cnidium officinale Rhizoma (Senkyu), Poria cocos Hoelen (Bukuryo), Alisma orientale Rhizoma (Takusha), and Atractylodes lancea Rhizoma (Sojutsu) increased the correct choices, while only the Toki, Sojutsu, and Takusha decreased the error choices. No effect was produced by Paeonia lactiflora Radix (Shakuyaku). Investigation of effects of fractions isolated from Toki revealed that its activity mainly resided in the butanol layer and its contents of N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide and amines. Moreover, the alkaloid, internal and external solutions (containing poly-, di-, and monosaccharides) obtained by dialysis with Visking cellophane tubing also improved the memory. However, no improving properties were detected for methanol and hexanol layers, L-(-)-tryptophan, L-arginine, L-(-)-lysine, and choline chloride. The results showed that the TSS components could improve the reference and working memory impaired by scopolamine. The improving effect of TSS is produced greatly by the Toki component, the activity of which was greatly produced by the fraction extracted by butanol. (+info)
Simultaneous determination of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid and protocatechuic aldehyde in Chinese herbal preparation by RP-HPLC.
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In the present study, a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was established for simultaneous determination of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid and protocatechuic aldehyde in a Chinese herbal preparation (Fufang-Pugongying-Mixture). The separation was performed on a Hypersil ODS-2 column by isocratic elution with methanol and 0.2 M acetate buffer (pH 3.6) (15 : 85, v/v) as the mobile phase at the flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min with operating temperature of 30 degrees C, and detection wavelength of 300 nm. A good linear regression relationship between peak-areas and concentrations was obtained over the range of 2-200 microg/ml for the five marker compounds mentioned above. The spike recoveries were within 96.72-104.07%. The variation coefficient (CV) values of the precision were in the range of 0.89-4.50%. Moreover the developed method has reference value for quantitative analysis of Taraxacum, Lonicera and Angelica. (+info)
Structures of new aromatics glycosides from a Japanese folk medicine, the roots of Angelica furcijuga.
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Three new aromatics glycosides, hyuganosides II, IIIa, and IIIb, were isolated from a Japanese folk medicine, the roots of Angelica furcijuga KITAGAWA. The structures of the new glycosides were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. (+info)