Hypotensive effect of tenuifolic saponin and its mechanism.
(1/17)
AIM: To study the effect of tenuifolic saponin (TS) on arterial pressure. METHODS: Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was recorded from left carotid artery in rat which was anesthetized with urethane and then injected i.v. gtt with a transfusion of NaCl 0.15 mol.L-1. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) of conscious rat and renovascular hypertensive rat (RVHR) was measured by tail cuff method. RESULTS: TS 2, 4, 8 mg.kg-1 i.v., 20 and 40 mg.kg-1 i.g. reduced the MAP by 31%, 37%, 50%, 21%, and 31%, respectively. Bilateral vagotomy plus atropine (Atr) i.v., or pretreatment with diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Dip) failed to influence TS effect. Lack of effect of TS on carotid-occlusion-induced- or epinephrine (Epi)-induced-hypertensive response was found. SBP in conscious rat and RVHR was suppressed, highest by 38.0% and 26.8% at 60 and 90 min, maintaining at least 2 and 3 h, respectively, after i.g. TS 40 mg.kg-1. CONCLUSION: TS reduced the arterial pressure, not related to vagus excitation, ganglionic blockade, and peripheral alpha-adrenergic-, M-cholinergic-, and H1-receptors. (+info)
Cytotoxic compounds from Polygala vulgaris.
(2/17)
To search for antitumor agents from plants, we studied Polygala vulgaris since cytotoxic lignans are known to occur in some Polygala species. Preliminary data on plant petrol ether, chloroform, and methanol extracts from the roots and aerial parts, showed in vitro cytotoxic activity against the solid tumor LoVo cell line. Fractionation of the active extracts led to the isolation of three new compounds, a derivative of aucuparine and two xanthones, as well as a known methylsinapate. All compounds were tested for in vitro cytotoxic activity using two cell lines, LoVo and its strain, which express resistance to common antitumor agents. (+info)
Cognitive improving and cerebral protective effects of acylated oligosaccharides in Polygala tenuifolia.
(3/17)
We studied the cognitive improving and cerebral protective constituents in the roots of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow, a well-known Chinese traditional medicine prescribed for amnesia, neurasthenia, palpitation, noctural emission and insomnia. Tenuifoliside B (1), which is one of the acylated oligosaccharides in the roots of P. tenuifolia, showed the cerebral protective effect on potassium cyanide (KCN)-induced anoxia in mice, widely used as an animal model for cerebrovascular disease, and also had an ameliorative effect on the scopolamine-induced impairment of performance in passive avoidance task in rats. Compound 1 significantly enhanced oxotremorine-induced tremors in mice, suggesting that it ameliorated the scopolamine-induced impairment of passive avoidance response by enhancing the cholinergic system. These findings show that compound 1 has cognitive improving and cerebral protective effects. (+info)
Anti-stress effects of 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid, an active constituent of roots of Polygala tenuifolia (Onji).
(4/17)
3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid (TMCA) is one of the constituents in Onji (roots of Polygala tenuifolia WILLD), an herbal medicine used for sedative in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine. Our previous study revealed that oral administration of this compound prolongs sleeping time induced by hexobarbital in mice to exhibit sedative action. In the present study, we investigate the effects of TMCA on the stress induced with repeated cold exposure or intracerebroventricular injection of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). Both types of stress significantly reduced the sleeping time induced with pentobarbital in rat, which was significantly prolonged by intraperitoneal injection of TMCA. The intracerebroventricular injection of CRH significantly augmented the content of norepinephrine (NE) in locus coeruleus (LC) of rats, which was significantly suppressed by the intracerebroventricular injection of TMCA. These findings suggest that TMCA would exhibit sedative effects by suppressing NE content in LC. (+info)
Occupational asthma and rhinitis induced by a herbal medicine, Wonji (Polygala tenuifolia).
(5/17)
Occupational asthma is induced by many agents, including herbal materials, that are exposed in working places. Although there are a few case reports for occupational allergy induced by herbal materials, there is none for that induced by Wonji (Polygala tenuifolia). This study was conducted to evaluate clinical characteristics and immunologic mechanism of Wonji-induced asthma in a exposed-worker. A patient who complained of asthma and rhinitis symptoms, and who had worked in a herbal manufacturing factory for 8 yr, underwent a skin prick test with crude extract of Wonji under the impression of occupational asthma induced by the agent. The patient had a strong positive response to the extract on the skin prick test. Allergen bronchial challenge to the extract demonstrated a typical dual response. Serum specific IgE level to the extract was higher in the patient than in healthy controls, and ELISA inhibition test revealed complete inhibition of IgE binding with the extract, but no inhibition with Der p 2 or mugwort extracts. Six IgE binding components to the extract (10, 25, 28, 36, 50, and 90 kDa) were detected using SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis. These findings suggest that Polygala tenuifolia, a herbal material, can induce IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in exposed workers. (+info)
Four new phenones from the cortexes of Polygala tenuifolia.
(6/17)
From the 95% EtOH extract of the cortexes of Polygala tenuifolia, four new phenones and three known xanthones were isolated. The structures of the four new phenones were identified as 4-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-2-hydroxyl-6-methoxyb enzophenone (tenuiphenone A, 1), 3,5-di-C-beta-glucopyranosyl-2,4,6,3'-tetrahydroxybenzophenone (tenuiphenone B, 2), 2',4',6'-trihydroxyphenyl-(24Z)-triacontene-1-one (tenuiphenone C, 3), 2',4',6'-trihydroxyphenyl-(26Z)-dotriacontene-1-one (tenuiphenone D, 4) respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. The isolation of 1 and 2 supplied an evidence for the hypothesis that xanthone was biosynthesized from benzophenone in the plants. (+info)
Characterization of anti-neurodegenerative effects of Polygala tenuifolia in Abeta(25-35)-treated cortical neurons.
(7/17)
Although Polygala tenuifolia WILLD (PT) was classically mentioned as an anti-dementia drug in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine, basic research showed only enhancement of the cholinergic function. In Alzheimer's disease, neuritic atrophy and synaptic loss occur prior to neuronal death event, and may be the first trigger of the memory impairment. Therefore, we studied effects of Polygala tenuifolia WILLD (PT) on Abeta(25-35)-induced neuronal damage using rat cortical neurons for characterization of activities of PT under Abeta-induced neuronal damage. Treatment with the water extract of PT enhanced axonal length dose-dependently after Abeta(25-35)-induced axonal atrophy. However, dendritic atrophy and synaptic loss induced by Abeta(25-35) were not recovered by treatment with PT extract. In contrast, Abeta(25-35)-induced cell damage was completely inhibited by PT extract. By characterization of PT effects on neuronal morphological plasticity and cell damage, usefulness as well as an insufficiency of PT as an anti-dementia drug was clarified. (+info)
Two new triterpenoid saponins isolated from Polygala japonica.
(8/17)
Bioassay guided investigation of whole parts of Polygala japonica afforded two new triterpenoid saponins, characterized as 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl medicagenic acid 28-O-{beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-->4)-[beta-D-apiofuranosyl(1-->3)]-alpha-L-rhamnopyr anosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl} ester (1), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl 2-oxo-olean-12-en-23, 28-dioic acid 28-O-{beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-->4)-[beta-D-apiofuranosyl(1-->3)]-alpha-L-rhamnopyr anosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl} ester (2), together with four known triterpenoid saponins (3-6). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Saponins 3, 4 and 5 showed significant anti-inflammation effects on carrageenan-induced acute paw edema in mouse. (+info)