• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.519-527
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• 2017

Excessive activation of microglia causes the continuous production of neurotoxic mediators, which further causes neuron degeneration. Therefore, inhibition of microglial activation is a possible target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Balanophonin, a natural neolignoid from Firmiana simplex, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects and mechanism of balanophonin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia cells. BV2 microglia cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence or absence of balanophonin. The results indicated that balanophonin reduced not only the LPS-mediated TLR4 activation but also the production of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), $Interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$), in BV2 cells. Balanophonin also inhibited LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) protein expression and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 MAPK. Interestingly, it also inhibited neuronal cell death resulting from LPS-activated microglia by regulating cleaved caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage in N2a cells. In conclusion, our data indicated that balanophonin may delay the progression of neuronal cell death by inhibiting microglial activation.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.316-320
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• 2008

Ten compounds, (+)-pinoresinol (1), (-)-balanophonin (2), gallicin (3), vanillin (4), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), coniferaldehyde (6), betulinic acid (7), ursolic acid (8), 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (9), and malic acid (10), were isolated from a EtOAc-soluble fraction of the seeds of Cornus officinalis. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods as well as by comparison with reported values. Compounds 1, 2, and 4-7 were isolated from this species for the first time. All the isolates (1-10) were subjected to an in vitro bioassay to evaluate their inhibitory activity against advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation. Among these, compounds 2 and 3 showed the significant inhibitory activity on AGEs formation with $IC_{50}$ values of 27.81 and 18.04${\mu}M$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.4 s.127
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• pp.302-306
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• 2001

The stem barks of Kalopanax septemlobus were extracted with MeOH, and successively partitioned with $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, BuOH and water. Repeated column chromatographic separation of the $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction resulted in the isolation of four compounds. Their structures were identified as ${\beta}-sitosterol$ (1), oleanolic acid (2), 3,3'-bis(3,4-dihydro-4-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-1-benzopyran) (3) and (-)-balanophonin (4). This is the first report on the isolation of 3,3'-bis(3,4-dihydro-4-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-1-benzopyran) (3) and (-)-balanophonin (4) from Kalopanax spp.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 2019

Soluble epoxide hydrolases (sEH) are enzymes present in all living organisms, metabolize epoxy fatty acids to 1,2-diols. sEH in the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids plays a key role in inflammation. In addition, the endogenous lipid mediators in cardiovascular disease are also broken down to diols by the action of sEH that enhanced cardiovascular protection. In this study, sEH inhibitory guided fractionation led to the isolation of five phenolic compounds trans-resveratrol (1), trans-piceatannol (2), sulfuretin (3), (+)-balanophonin (4), and cassigarol E (5) from the ethanol extract of the seeds of Passiflora edulis Sims cultivated in Vietnam. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were determined by the interpretation of NMR spectral data, mass spectra, and comparison with data from the literature. The soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitory activity of isolated compounds was evaluated. Among them, trans-piceatannol (2) showed the most potent inhibitory activity on sEH with an IC₅₀ value of 3.4 μM. This study marks the first time that sulfuretin (3) was isolated from Passiflora edulis as well as (+)-balanophonin (4), and cassigarol E (5) were isolated from Passiflora genus.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2011

In our search for bioactive phenolics from plants, the culms of Phyllostachys bambusoides has been selected for investigation of anti-cariogenic and 1,1-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging agents based on the initial screening results. Fractionation process of n-hexane and $CHCl_3$ extracts afforded four phenolic constituents, ferulic acid (1), vanillin (2), coniferaldehyde (3), and coniferyl alcohol (4) as guided by their DPPH free radical scavenging activities. Additionally, activity-guided fractionation of EtOAc extract with anti-cariogenic activity has resulted in the isolation of coniferaldehyde (3), 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (5), p-methoxycinnamic acid (6), (${\pm}$)-balanophonin (7), and 6-methoxychromanone (8). The structures of 1 - 8 were determined by spectroscopic data interpretation, and also by comparison of their data with the published values. Phenolic compounds 1 - 4 exhibited similar DPPH radical scavenging activities compared with the synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and compounds 3 and 5 - 8 showed significant antibacterial activity against cariogenic oral streptococci, Streptococcus mutans and S. sobrinus.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2012

Among 38 Vietnamese medicinal plant extracts investigated for their ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 35 extracts showed $IC_{50}$ values below $250{\mu}g/mL$. The MeOH extracts of the heartwood of Oroxylum indicum, the seeds of Caesalpinia sappan, and the fruits of Xanthium strumarium exhibited strong ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity with $IC_{50}$ values less than $50{\mu}g/mL$. Fractionation of the MeOH extract of the heartwood of O. indicum led to the isolation of oroxylin A (1), oroxyloside (2), hispidulin (3), apigenin (4), ficusal (5), balanophonin (6), 2- (1-hydroxymethylethyl)-4H,9H-naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione (7), salicylic acid (8), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (9), protocatechuic acid (10), isovanillin (11), and ${\beta}$-hydroxypropiovanillon (12). Compounds 1 - 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 showed more potent activities, with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 2.13 to $133.51{\mu}M$, than a positive control acabose ($IC_{50}$, $241.85{\mu}M$). The kinetic study indicated that oroxyloside (2) displayed mixed-type inhibition with inhibition constant (Ki) was $3.56{\mu}M$.