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We have previously reported that polysaccharides extracted from fruiting bodies or cultured mycelia of Antrodia camphorata exhibit an anti-hepatitis B virus effect. In this study, we intended to elucidate the anti-inflammatory potency of six mycelial extracts, namely PDBext, CK-ext, CM-ext, CO-ext, CC-ext, and CKO-ext, isolated from mycelia of A. camphorata cultured with six different media including potato dextrose broth (PDB) and five water-soluble fractions from the wood of different Cinnamomum species, i.e. C. kanehirae (CK), C. micranthum (CM), C. osmophloeum (CO), C. camphora (CC), and C. kotoense (CKO), against reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in peripheral human neutrophils (PMN) or mononuclear cells (MNC). ROS produced by PMN or MNC act as inflammatory mediators and also signal immune responses. Pretreatment with these mycelial extracts (1^50 Wg ml 31 ) concentration-dependently diminished fMLP-or PMAinduced ROS production in PMN or MNC, as measured by lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence, with 50% inhibition concentrations (IC 50 ) ranging from 2 to 20 Wg ml 31 . Among these extracts evaluated, CM-ext, CO-ext, or CKO-ext exhibited higher potency than the others. Using high performance liquid chromatography, we identified two lanostane-type compounds, i.e. dehydrosulfurenic acid and 15K-acetyl-dehydrosulfurenic acid, which could be involved in the anti-inflammatory actions of these extracts. The anti-inflammatory actions of these extracts were not due to cytotoxic effects. In summary, these data suggest that extracts from cultured mycelia of A. camphorata display anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting ROS production in human leukocytes at a pharmacologically applicable concentration. The biological activities of these extracts were further promoted when the culture medium was replaced with water-soluble fractions isolated from the wood of CM, CO or CKO.

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Neurogenesis promoting signaling by EtOAc-AC and EK100.

Three new anti-oxidative ergostanes, methyl antcinate L (1), antcin M (2), and methyl antcinate K (3), together with nine additional known compounds, 3-ketodehydrosulphurenic acid, sulphurenic acid, dehydrosulphurenic acid, 3beta,15alpha-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid, zhankuic acid A, zhankuic acid B, zhankuic acid C, antcin C, and antcin K were isolated from the basidiomata of Antrodia salmonea, a newly identified species of Antrodia (Polyporaceae) in Taiwan. These three new compounds were identified as methyl 3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29)-dien-11-on-26-oate (1), 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29)-dien-11-on-26-oic acid (2), and methyl 3alpha,4beta,7beta-trihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29)-dien-11-on-26-oate (3) by spectroscopic analysis. We studied their antioxidative potential on the production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide (NO) in neutrophils and microglial cells, respectively. Compounds 1-3 displayed potent antioxidative activity with IC50 values of around 2.0-8.8 microM that was partially due to inhibition (6-67%) of NADPH oxidase activity but not through direct radical-scavenging properties. Compounds 1-3 also inhibited NO production with IC50 values of around 1.7-16.5 microM and were more potent than a non-specific NOS inhibitor. We conclude that these three new compounds 1, 2, and 3 exhibit anti-inflammatory activities in activated inflammatory cells.