• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.11
• /
• pp.1244-1250
• /
• 2005

The anti-inflammatory activity of Eurya emarginata (Thumb) Makino, of which leaves have been traditionally used to treat ulcers or diuretic in Jeju Island, has been investigated in the present study. Through the phytochemical study from the methanol extract of E. emaginiata, eutigosides Band C were isolated as the active components. Sseveral inflammatory markers including TNF-$\alpha$, IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, NO, iNOS, and COX-2 were examined. Eutigosides Band C potentially inhibited production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$) in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the intracellular contents of iNOS protein were markedly decreased after treatment with eutigosides Band C. The inhibition of iNOS activity was correlated with the decrease in nitrite levels. These results suggest that eutigoside Band C from E. emarginata may have anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6), iNOS and COX-2.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.9
• /
• pp.1047-1052
• /
• 2005

Two phenolic glucosides, eutigoside Band eutigoside C were isolated from the fresh leaves of Eurya emarginata. These two phenolic glucosides exerted a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells. Furthermore, when the HL-60 cells were treated with eutigoside C, several apoptotic characteristics such as DNA fragmentation, morphologic changes, and increase of the population of sub-G1 hypodiploid cells were observed. In order to understand the mechanism of apoptosis induction by eutigoside C, we examined the changes of Bcl-2 and Bax expression levels. The eutigoside C reduced BcI-2 protein and mRNA levels, but slightly increased Bax protein and mRNA levels in a time-dependent manner. When we examined the activation of caspase-3, an effector of apoptosis, the eutigoside C increased the expression of active form (19-kDa) of caspase-3 and the increase of their activities was demonstrated by the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, a substrate of caspase-3, to 85-kDa. The results suggest that the inhibitory effect of eutigoside C from E. emarginata on the growth of HL-60 appears to arise from the induction of apoptosis via the down-regulation of BcI-2 and the activation of caspase.