Abstract
Radix Tinosporae is a herb widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. In the present study, its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities were investigated. The ethanol extract of Radix Tinosporae exhibited significant inhibitory effects on xylene-induced ear edema and acetic acid-induced writhing in mice. Using bioassay-guided fractionation, the n-butanol fraction was determined as the active fraction. Further purification of the most active n-butanol fraction led to the isolation of three compounds, palmatine, columbamine and columbinyl glucoside. All three compounds showed inhibitory activities on xylene-induced ear edema, but only palmatine and columbamine exhibited significant inhibitory effects on acetic acid-induced writhing. In addition, palmatine and columbamine markedly inhibited in vitro production of nitric oxide and nuclear factor-κB activation in RAW264.7 macrophage cells in response to lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor α stimulation. These results provide justification for the utilization of Radix Tinosporae in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
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Liu, X., Hu, Z., Shi, Q. et al. Anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of compounds from Tinospora sagittata (Oliv.) Gagnep.. Arch. Pharm. Res. 33, 981–987 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-010-0702-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-010-0702-7