ABSTRACT
In the present study, bioactivity-guided extraction and isolation of the n-hexane fraction of the fruits of Vietnamese Schisandra sphenanthera led to the isolation of five dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans as gomisin N (1), schisandrin C (2), gomisin H (3), gomisin D (4), and gomisin C (5). All the isolates were tested for their inhibition of NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Among them, compounds 4 and 5 showed weak inhibition of NO production with IC 50 values of 25.0 ± 1.6 and 24.8 ± 2.0 µM, respectively. Compound 1 exhibited NO production inhibition with an IC 50 value of 15.8 ± 2.1 µM, meanwhile, schisandrin C (2) showed the most potent inhibition with an IC 50 value of 8.5 ± 0.5 µM. In addition, compound 2 had a concentrationdependent inhibitory effect on the protein expression of the inflammatory enzymes iNOS and COX-2. Their physicochemical properties and ADMET data were predicted by in silico, indicating favorable drug-like properties as well as low acute oral toxicity. The results suggest that the fruit of S. sphenanthera and its phytochemical constituents might be used as anti-inflammatory agents.