Simultaneous Determination of Four Compounds from Artemisia capillaris using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet Detector (HPLC-UVD) and Their Quantitative Study in Artemisia Genus

Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (Compositae) is a native herb of East Asian countries and has used for the treatment of jaundice, high liver fever, and digestive diseases for a long time, as well as being developed as the source of herbal preparations until now. The major components from A. capillaris were chlorogenic acid (1) and its derivatives substituted with caffeoyl moieties, such as 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (2) and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3), and coumarins, such as scoparone. In the study, four compounds, chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and scoparone (4) in the 70% ethanolic extract of A. capillaris were simultaneously determined by using HPLC-UVD system. This method was validated with the terms of linearity, precious and accuracy according to ICH guidelines. The developed method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of Artemisia genus, A. capillaris, A. iwayomogi, A. princeps, and A. argyi, distributed in Korea.

Inhibitory Effect of a Sesquiterpene from Artemisia iwayomogi on Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase by Suppression of I-κBα Degradation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

A sesquiterpene was purified from Artemisia iwayomogi methanolic extract during the course of searching anti-inflammatory principle from medicinal plants. A sesquiterpene identified as armefolin inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and attenuated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein level in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Armefolin also down-regulated mRNA expressions of iNOS and pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 in LPS-activated macrophages. Moreover, armefolin suppressed the degradation of inhibitory-κBα (I-κBα) in LPS-activated macrophages. These data suggest that armefolin from A. iwayomogi can suppress the LPS-induced production of NO and the expression of iNOS gene through inhibiting the degradation of I-κBα. Taken together, armefolin from A. iwayomogi might be a candidate as promising anti-inflammatory agent.

A Carbohydrate Fraction, AIP1, from Artemisia Iwayomogi Reduces the Action Potential Duration by Activation of Rapidly Activating Delayed Rectifier K+ Channels in Rabbit Ventricular Myocytes

We investigated the effects of a hot-water extract of Artemisia iwayomogi, a plant belonging to family Compositae, on cardiac ventricular delayed rectifier K+ current (I(K)) using the patch clamp technique. The carbohydrate fraction AIP1 dose-dependently increased the heart rate with an apparent EC(50) value of 56.1+/-5.5 microgram/ml. Application of AIP1 reduced the action potential duration (APD) in concentration-dependent fashion by activating I(K) without significantly altering the resting membrane potential (IC(50) value of APD(50): 54.80+/-2.24, IC(50) value of APD(90): 57.45+/-3.47 microgram/ml). Based on the results, all experiments were performed with 50 microgram/ml of AIP1. Pre-treatment with the rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (I(Kr)) inhibitor, E-4031 prolonged APD. However, additional application of AIP1 did not reduce APD. The inhibition of slowly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (I(Ks)) by chromanol 293B did not change the effect of AIP1. AIP1 did not significantly affect coronary arterial tone or ion channels, even at the highest concentration of AIP1. In summary, AIP1 reduces APD by activating I(Kr) but not I(Ks). These results suggest that the natural product AIP1 may provide an adjunctive therapy of long QT syndrome.

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity Against Oral Bacteria by the Essential Oil of Artemisia iwayomogi

The aerial part of Artemisia iwayomogi KITAMURA has traditionally been used for antitumour, immunomodulating, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antipyretic, diuretic, liver protective effect, and choleretic purposes in Korea. The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from A. iwayomogi was analyzed by GC/MS. The essential oil and its major compounds were tested for antibacterial activities against 15 different genera of oral bacteria. The essential oil of A. iwayomogi was rich in camphor (17.96%), 1,8-cineole (14.79%), terpinen-4-ol (3.28%), alpha-terpineol (17.60%), and beta-caryophyllene (4.05%). The essential oil of A. iwayomogi exhibited considerable inhibitory effects against all obligate anaerobic bacteria (MICs, 0.05 to 0.2 mg/ml; MBCs, 0.1 to 0.4 mg/ml) tested, while its major compounds demonstrated various degrees of growth inhibition.

Effects of Artemisia Iwayomogi Oligosaccharide on the Blood Lipids, Abdominal Adipose Tissues and Leptin Levels in the Obese Rats

As obesity is known to be related to hyperlipidemia, insulin and leptin resistance, and other chronic diseases, much recent research has focused on functional food materials and their anti-obesity activity. This study was performed to study the effects of Artemisia Iwayomogi oligosaccharide AIPI on the anti-obesity function in normal rats and diet-induced obese (DIO) rats. F344 male rats were divided into four groups: Normal-control (CONT), normal-AIPI, DIO-CONT and DIO-AIPI. The groups were provided with water (in the CONT groups) or another drink for 4 weeks. The final body weights of rats in the DIO-AIPI group were lower than those in the CONT group. Abdominal adipose tissue weight per kg of body weight in the DIO-AIPI group was significantly lower than that in the DIO-CONT group. Also, the final levels of serum-triglyceride, serum-total cholesterol and serum-low density lipoprotein cholesterol in the DIO-AIPI group were lower than those in the DIO-CONT group. Moreover, the serum-high density lipoprotein cholesterol level in the normal-AIPI group was significantly higher than that in the normal-CONT group. Finally, the serum-leptin concentration was significantly lower in the DIO-AIPI group. Total lipid, triglyceride, and total cholesterol contents in the feces of the DIO-AIPI group were as high as 142%, 199%, and 165% of the respective values of the DIO-CONT GROUP. These results indicate that orally administered Artemisia Iwayomogi oligosaccharide not only has hypotriglycemic and hypocholesterolemic effects, but also has the effect of reducing the body weight and the abdominal adipose tissue weights obese rats. Therefore, we expect that Artemisia Iwayomogi oligosaccharide AIPI may have an anti-obesity function in F344 diet-induced obese rats.