Planta Med 2012; 78 - PI332
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1321019

Bioactive constituents from the stem bark of Zanthoxylum avicennae

JJ Chen 1, CK Yang 1, CY Chung 2, TL Hwang 3
  • 1Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology & Department of Pharmacy, Tajen University, Pingtung 907, Taiwan
  • 2Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
  • 3Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan

Zanthoxylum avicennae (Lam.) DC. (Rutaceae) is an evergreen shrub distributed in Vietnam, Philippines, southern China, and Taiwan. In our studies on the anti-inflammatory constituents of Formosan plants, many species have been screened for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, and Z. avicennae has been found to be one of the active species. In our search for compounds with anti-inflammatory activities, two new coumarin derivatives, 8-formylalloxanthoxyletin (1) and avicennone (2) and 14 known compounds (3 -1 6) have been isolated and identified from the stem bark of Z. avicennae . The structures of all isolates were determined through spectral analyses and comparison of their physical and spectral data with literatures. Among the isolated compounds 1, 5, 10, 1 3, and 1 6 exhibited inhibition (IC50 values ≤ 7.65µg/mL) of superoxide anion generation by human neutrophils in response to formyl-L-methionyl-L-leuckyl-L-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB).