Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Phenylpropanoids and Phytoquinoids from Illicium Species in RBL-2H3 Cells

Abstract

Two phenylpropanoids, 1-allyl-3,5-dimethoxy-4-(3-methyl-but-2-enyloxy)benzene (4) and 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)phenol (6), and two phytoquinoids, 4R-(-)-illicinone-A (7) and 2S,4R-(-)-illicinone-B (8), isolated from plants of the Illicium species significantly inhibited histamine release from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells stimulated with A23187. Furthermore, these compounds caused a decline in TNF-α levels in culture supernatants of RBL-2H3 cells following treatment with A23187. The results indicate that these compounds might be useful as anti-inflammatory agents against mast cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Abbreviations

MTT assay: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α

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