ABSTRACT
A concise synthesis of (-)-epicatechin 3-(3-O-methylgallate) (1; ECG3''Me), which is a minor constituent of tea, and (+)-catechin 3-(3-O-methylgallate) (2; CG3''Me) via condensation of equimolar amount of catechin and gallate derivatives has been achieved. The anti-inflammatory effect of the synthetic compounds on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation of mouse ears was examined. Compounds 1 and 2 suppressed the TPA-induced inflammation of mouse ears by 50 and 43%, respectively, at a dose of 200 microg. Their activities are stronger than those of indomethacin and glycyrrhetinic acid, the normally used anti-inflammatory agents.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemical synthesis , Catechin/chemistry , Gallic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Gallic Acid/chemical synthesis , Gallic Acid/chemistry , Gallic Acid/pharmacology , Mice , StereoisomerismABSTRACT
There is an ongoing search for plant-derived diterpenes, especially for diterpenes with anti-inflammatory activity that also have anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells. A cyathane-type diterpene, Sarcodonin G (SG), isolated from the mushroom Sarcodon scabrosus and already reported to have anti-inflammatory activity, inhibited proliferation of HeLa cells to the greatest extent among 4 cyathane diterpenes tested. SG showed an IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) of 20 microM, estimated by MTT assay 2 days after culture of cells with the chemical. SG treatment of HeLa cells resulted in dose-dependent generation of apoptotic events such as DNA-laddering (< or =100 microM). Moreover, SG-treated HeLa cells showed activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and increase of Bax/Bcl-2 ratios, as analyzed by Western blot analysis. The anti-proliferative effects of SG treatment on HeLa cells were lessened by a caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK. SG also showed anti-proliferative effects toward 5 other human cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 20-40 microM. Because of these anti-proliferative effects via possible caspase activation, SG holds promise of being a novel anti-proliferative agent deserving further investigation.
