Abbreviations: BAEC, bovine aortic endothelial cells; bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; BSA, bovine serum albumin; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthizol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide A bstractIn the course of screening of angiogenesis inhibitor from natural products, cryptotanshinone from Salvia m iltiorrhiza w as isolated as a potent sm all m olecule inhibitor of angiogenesis. Cryptotanshinone inhibits bFGF-induced angiogenesis of BAECs at ten m icrom olar ranges in vitro without cytotoxicity. Tanshinone IIA, another tanshinone isolated from S. m iltiorrhiza, w hich is structurally very sim ilar to cryptotanshinone except C-15 position of dihydrofuran ring does not inhibit angiogenesis induced by bFGF. These results dem onstrate that cryptotanshinone is a new anti-angiogenic agent and double bond at C-15 position of the dihydrofuran ring plays a crucial role in the activity.

Corni Fructus (Cornus officinalis SIEB. et ZUCC.), a traditional medicine, is considered one of the 25 plant-based drugs most frequently used in China, Japan, and Korea. Recent studies have reported that Corni Fructus has a plasma glucose-lowering action in normal rats, along with anti neoplastic and anti-microbial effects.1-3) Moreover, Vareed et al. 4) reported that Corni Fructus has been used for improving liver and kidney functions. The components are total iridoid glycosides such as morroniside and loganin and also a few polyphenols such as cornusiin A, B, and C, monomeric and trimeric hydrolysable tannins, and so on. 5,6) Among them, the total iridoid glycosides are well-known as the main active constituents of Corni Fructus. The total iridoid glycosides of Corni Fructus containing loganin and morroniside inhibit oxidative stress 7) and prevent the renal overdeposition of fibronectin and laminin in an experimental diabetic rat model. 8) In particular, morroniside, one of the most abundant iridoid glycosides in Corni Fructus, has been proven effective in preventing diabetic complications such as diabetic angiopathy and the early stages of diabetic nephropathy by regulating renal mesangial cell growth through inhibiting oxidative stress.9,10) In addition, it exhibits a neuroprotective effect by providing cytoprotection against H 2 O 2 -toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. 11)Diabetes mellitus is characterized by excessive glucose production. An abnormally elevated blood glucose level leads to oxidative stress and the formation of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE), which have been closely linked to diabetic complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy.12,13) Especially, diabetics are at increased risk for several types of kidney disease, and the predominant cause of end-stage renal disease in this disorder is diabetic nephropathy.14,15) However, clinical trials suggest that there is no effective treatment for diabetic nephropathy.16) Therefore, prevention of the occurrence and progression of diabetic nephropathy has become a very important issue.Our previous investigations have demonstrated that Hachimi-jio-gan, a Chinese prescription consisting of eight crude drugs, owes it therapeutic potential to ameliorating functional and structural features associated with experimental types 1 and 2 diabetic nephropathy rat models. 17,18) Hachimi-jio-gan showed a preventive effect against kidney damage by reducing renal oxidative injury and the expression of fibronectin and transforming growth factor-b 1 (TGFb 1 ) protein, involved in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy in diabetic rats, and effectively inhibited the progression of chronic renal failure through decreasing uremic toxins, elevating antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and ameliorating histopathological lesions in the kidney. 19,20) In addition, this traditional prescription also alleviated diabetic oxidative stress through the inhibition of lipid peroxidation. 21) Cornus Fructus, one of eight medicina...

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Effects of the methanol extract of Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense and hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside isolated from the plant on hepatic alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and lipid peroxidation were studied in rats treated with ethanol. Rats treated with 10% alcohol solution for 6 weeks were orally administered with 250 or 500 mg of methanol extract or 10 or 20 mg of hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside per kg body weight daily during the last week of ethanol treatment. The administration of the methanol extract of herbal plant and hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside in ethanol-treated rats significantly enhanced the activities of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system and aldehyde dehydrogenase in a dose-dependent manner. The extract and the compound decreased hepatic lipid peroxidation along with an increase in hepatic content of reduced glutathione. The methanol extract and hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside of C. japonicum var. ussuriense also increased the activity of glutathione reductase, but had no effect on gamma-glutamylcysteine synthase. The results suggest that C. japonicum var. ussuriense may alleviate alcoholic toxicity by enhancing ethanol oxidation as well as inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside is one of the active substances responsible for the protective effects of this plant.

To identify substances with anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity in traditional medicines, 101 extracts of Korean medicinal plants were screened for their inhibitory effects on HIV type 1 protease (PR). The enzyme activity was determined by HPLC. Of the extracts tested, strong inhibitory effects were observed in the acetone extracts of the pericarp and leaves of Camellia japonica, the water extract of the leaves of Sageretia theezans and the methanol extract of the aerial part of Sophora flavescens. Camelliatannin H from the pericarp of C. japonica, showed a potent inhibitory activity on HIV-1 PR with IC(50) of 0.9 microM.