Abstract
The screening of Piperaceous plants for xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity revealed that the extract of the leaves of Piper betle possesses potent activity. Activity-guided purification led us to obtain hydroxychavicol as an active principle. Hydroxychavicol is a more potent xanthine oxidase inhibitor than allopurinol, which is clinically used for the treatment of hyperuricemia.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Prof. Ih-Sheng Chen at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan for a valuable discussion. This work was financially supported by the “Antiaging Center Project” for Private Universities from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 2008–2012.
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Murata, K., Nakao, K., Hirata, N. et al. Hydroxychavicol: a potent xanthine oxidase inhibitor obtained from the leaves of betel, Piper betle . J Nat Med 63, 355–359 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-009-0331-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-009-0331-y