Heme Oxygenase Inducers from Natural Products

Heme oxygenase (HO)-l catabolizes heme into three products: carbon monoxide, bilirubin, and free iron. HO-l serves as a protective gene by virtue of the anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-proliferative actions of one or more of these three products. HO-l can be regarded as a potential therapeutic target in a variety of oxidant-mediated and inflammatory diseases. In this respect, it would be valuable to develop potent and selective inducers of HO-1 for therapeutic use. Here, we have shown that 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose, catalposide and dehydrocostus lactone are potent inducers of HO-1 and exert cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities via HO-1-ependent machanism.