Planta Med 2000; 66(1): 88-91
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1243120
Letter

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Inhibitory Effects of Lignans and Flavonoids in Saiboku-To, a Herbal Medicine for Bronchial Asthma, on the Release of Leukotrienes from Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

Masato Homma1*, Mana Minami1 , Chizu Taniguchi1 , Kitaro Oka1 , Sonoko Morita2 , Tomoyuki Niitsuma2 , Toru Hayashi2
  • 1Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Science, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2Department of third Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical College, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

Received: March 4, 1999

Accepted: June 5, 1999

Publication Date:
24 November 2009 (online)

Abstract

To identify the anti-allergic components contained in Saiboku-To, a herbal medicine for the treatment of bronchial asthma, we studied the effects of eight phenolic compounds, which have been identified as the major human metabolites of Saiboku-To, and three triterpenoids contained in Saiboku-To on the release of leukotriene (LT) from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMLs) stimulated with Ca2+-ionophore A23187.All phenolic compounds exhibited dose-dependent suppression on release of both LTB4 and LTC4, while triterpenoids did not show any effects, except for glycyrrhetinic acid, which selectively inhibited LTC4-release. The five phenolic compounds, magnolol, dihydroxydihydromagnolol, baicalein, medicarpine and davidigenin, were found to exert a marked inhibition on LTB4- and LTC4- release with IC50 values of 0.7–15.3µM. The results suggest that the phenolic compounds contribute to the anti-allergic effects of Saiboku-To through suppression of LT-release from PMLs.

References

Dr. Masato Homma

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Science

Horinouchi

Hachioji

Tokyo 192-0392

Japan

Email: masato@ps.toyaku.ac.jp

Fax: +81-426-76-5798

Phone: +81-426-76-5796