ABSTRACT
Phenolic compounds have multiple bioactivities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Recent literatures have demonstrated that flavonoids have a significant anti-anxiety effect on the central nervous system. In addition, studies showed that flavonoids acted as pro-drugs, which were transformed into smaller phenols through intestinal microflora. The small phenolic metabolites were crucial for the anxiolytic effects of these flavonoids, indicating that natural small-molecule phenols(NSMP) generally have anxiolytic activities. In this paper, the supporting evidences (before June 2016) from SciFinder database have been summarized. Furthermore, NSMPs were classified according to chemical structures; their anxiolytic effects, mechanisms, and the structure-activity relationships were also discussed.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To clarify the main anxiolytic components from Juncus effusus. Methods: Silica gel column chromatography was used to extract the stem pith of J. effuses by 80% ethanol. The ethy lacetate extracts of J. effuses by ultraphonic extraction were separated to be phenanthrene constituents, such as dehydroeffusol, effusol, dehydrojuncusol, and juncusol. The phenanthrenes were knocked out and the target phenanthrene constituents and negative samples were prepared. The anxiolytic effects of the two separated fractions and the whole extract were evaluated by elevated plus-maze test in mice. Results: In the elevated plus-maze test, phenanthrene constituents and the whole ethylacetate extract could significantly improve the time and number of times of mice into the open arms, without difference in the intensity of action, but no anxiolytic activity was shown in the negative sample. Conclusion: Phenanthrene constituents are the main anxiolytic components in J. effusus. Other constituents in the ethylacetate extract of J. effusus do not influence the anxiolytic effect of phenanthrene constituents.