Principle of the Bark ofPhellodendron amurenseto Suppress the Cellular Immune Response

Abstract

We previously reported that Wen-Qing-Yin (Unsei-in), a traditional Chinese blended medicine, inhibited the induction phase of various kinds of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and local graft-versus-host (GvH) reactions, but did not affect humoral immune responses or the effector phase of DTH in experimental animals. In another report, we demonstrated that Phellodendri Cortex (bark of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Rutaceae) was a component having the most potent suppressive effect on the cellular immune response among the 8 medical plants composing Unsei-in. In the present study, we isolated OB-1 and OB-5 from Phellodendri Cortex as the biologically active principles to suppress local GvH reactions in mice. OB-1 and OB-5 are quaternary base alkaloids known as magnoflorine and phellodendrine, respectively. They suppressed the local GvH reaction, when given i.p. to the host mice at 5-20 mg/kg for 8 consecutive days from the day of spleen cell transfer to cause the reaction. Both OB-1 and OB-5 suppressed picryl chloride-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (PC-DTH) when given i.p. to mice at 10 and 20 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days from the day of the sensitization, but did not suppress it when given at the time of the challenge. These results suggest that OB-1 and OB-5 suppress the induction phase but not the effector phase of the cellular immune response. They are expected to have a value as a new type of immunosuppressor.

Beneficial effects of Phellodendri Cortex extract on hyperglycemia and diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

“…berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine. Phellodendri Cortex is a known anti-inflammatory agent (11,12) and has been widely used as drug in East Asia. This study investigated the effects of Phellodendri Cortex extract on the progression of diabetes, antioxidant enzyme activities, renal function, and histological renal changes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.…”

Magnoflorine from Coptidis Rhizoma Protects High Density Lipoprotein during Oxidant Stress

“…1). 23) Since the formation of conjugated dienes represents the initiate phase of HDL oxidation, the extent of lag time is indicated as oxidation resistant capacity of HDL. As shown in Fig.…”

“…21,22) Among them, magnoflorine is a quarternary alkaloid with the isoquinoline skeleton. Magnoflorine was showed to suppress the induction phase of the cellular immune response, 23) and assigned as noncytotoxic to various human cancer cell lines. 24) The antioxidant activity of magnoflorine was investigated with respect to its structural feature and physico-chemical properties to inhibit free radical, peroxidation of dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine, and liposomes initiated by thermal degradation of the azoinitiator (AAPH).…”

“…C-NMR spectral data were in accordance with published paper. 23,24) HDL and LDL Preparation Blood from healthy normolipemic donors was obtained by venipuncture and collected in EDTA-containing vacutainer tubes. LDL was prepared from plasma by sequential flotation ultracentrifugation as described previously.…”

Potential Biological Activities of Magnoflorine: A Compound from Aristolochia debilis Sieb. et Zucc

“…It was related to inflammation and cancer as showed to suppress the induction phase of the cellular immune response, and assigned as noncytotoxic to many human cancer cell lines (Mori et al, 1994;Min et al, 2006). It also showed to play a role in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) oxidation (de la Pena et al, 2013) and decreased arterial blood pressure in rabbits and induced hypothermia in mice (Kamal and Tahir, 1991).…”