• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 1989

From the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus, aporphine alkaloids : nuciferine, N-methylasimilobine, nornuciferine, norisocorydine, caaverine and tetrahydro benzylisoquinoline alkaloid : (+) coclaurine were isolated and identified. Zyzyphusine, a new quaternary aporphinium alkaloid form butanol soluble fraction was isolated and characterized by spectral data.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.203-207
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• 1987

Sedative principles of the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. sphinosus have been characterized as sanjoinine-A (frangufoline), nuciferine and their congeners. Also, heat treatment of sanjoinine-A-produced a more active artifact, sanjoinine-Ahl, which provides a scientific basis for heat-processing (roasting) of this Oriental medicine.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 1993

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sedative activity of four aporphine alkaloids (APA) and nine cyclopeptide alkaloids(CPA), which had been isolated from the seeds (sanjoin) of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus, and the fruits and stem bark of Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis. The assessment of sedative activity was carried out, employing a hexobarbital-induced sleeping time method in mice. When the relative sedative potency of sanjoinine-A(CPA) was given as one unit, those of nuciferine (APA), lysicamine (APA), chlorpromazine (positive control), and sanjoinine -Ahl (an epimer of sanjoinine-A) were 13, 6.5, 5, and 3, respectively. The sedatvie activities of other CPAs were much lower than those of sanjoinine-A and -Ahl, and other APAs were not active. On heat treatment, nuciferine and lysicamine were degraded into some artifacts which exhibited no sedative activity, while sanjoinine-A was converted into sanjoinine-Ahl which showed more potent sedative activity. These results suggested that nuciferine and sanjoinine-A were major sedative components of native sanjoin, and that sanjoinine-A and its epimeric artifact, sanjoinineAhl were the active principles of roasted sanjoin. It provides a scientific basis for heat-processing (roasting) of this Oriental medicine.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.202-206
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• 2001

The effects of various sedative cyclopeptides and peptide alkaloids from the Zizyphus species on calmodulin-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ -ATPase and phosphodiesterase were Investigated. Calmodulin-induced activation of $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase was strongly inhibited by sanjoinine-A dialdehyde (IC_{50}$, 2.3$\mu\textrm{m}$), -Ah1 (IC_{50}$, 4.0$\mu\textrm{m}$), -A (IC, 4.6$\mu\textrm{m}$), and -G2 (IC_{50}$, 7.2$\mu\textrm{m}$), while calmodulin-induced activation of phosphodiesterase was strongly inhibited by both deachuine- S10 (IC_{50}$, 4.9$\mu\textrm{m}$) and sanjoinine-D (IC_{50}$, 9.0$\mu\textrm{m}$). The inhibitory activity of the various cyclopeptides and peptide alkaloids on $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase was found to correlate well with their Sedative activity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.203-207
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• 1981

The acute toxicity and sedative activity of flavonoids and saponin isolated from Zizyphus seeds have been evaluated in mice. All the compounds elicited potentiation of hexobarbital-induced hypnosis, inhibition of ladder-climbing and caffeine-induced hyperactivity. Swertisin was the most potent of all flavonoids tested. The potency of saponin in these tests was found to be higher than that of swertisin. The activities in rotarod test and electroshock seizure test, on the other hand, were relatively weak or nil. From these findings it was suggested that flavonoids and saponin from Zizyphus seeds have neuroleptic activity without anticonvulsant or muscle relaxant activity accompanied by neurological deficit.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 1982

Zizyphus seed(Zizyphus vulgaris Lamark var. Spinosus Bunge) has long been used as hypnotics and sedatives in oriental medicine, and it is reported that the Zizyphus seed elicited a variety of pharmacologic actions besides CNS depression. Present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of Zizyphus seed on the central nervous system and on the blood pressure. The effect of Zizyphus seed on the central nervous system was measured by the influence of thiopental sleeping time and by inhibition of chemical convulsion (strychnine and pentylenetetrazol induced). Blood pressure changes by Zizyphus extract and its mode of action were investigated. The ground Zizyphus seed was extracted with hexane and methanol, consecutively and the supernatants were discarded. The precipitate was re-extracted with distilled water and the supernatant was evaporated to a dark-brownish sticky liquid, which was used as Zizyphus seed extract in this study after dissolving in saline prior to experiment. The results are as follows. 1) Zizyphus seed extract caused marked prolongation of the thiopental sleeping time in mice. 2) The chemical convulsion by strychnine and pentylenetetrazol, and the mortality by them in chicks were not affected by pretreatment of Zizyphus seed extract. 3) Zizyphus seed extract produced transient fall of blood pressure in the cat, and this hypotentive effect was blocked partially by atropine but not affected by bilateral vagotomy and/or hexamethonium, nor propranolol and, chlorpheniramine and/or cimetidine. With the above results, it may be suggested that the water extract of Zizyphus seeds contains components producing CNS depression and hypotension. Furthermore it is felt that the cholinergic effect, but not the adrenergic or histaminergic, is partly responsible for the hypotensive effect of Zizyphus seed extract.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2006

The antioxidative activity and the related parameters of hot water extracts obtained from 16 medicinal plants were tested. The extraction yield was the highest in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge $(36.49\%)$ pH range was $4.00\~5.92$ in all samples. Absorbance at 280 nm was examined to determine aromatic compounds content. The absorbance of $250{\mu}g/mL$ sample was the highest in Prunella vulgaris Linne var. lilacina Nakai (2.872) and below 0.5 in Cirsium maackii, Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge and Zizyphus jujuba Miller. Also, absorbance at 420 nm was high in order of Prunella vulgaris Linne vu. lilacina Nakai (1.312), Zea mays Linne (0.917) and Inula japonica Thunberg (0.725) Total phenolic compounds contents was the highest in Prunella vulgaris Linne var. lilacina Nakai $(5.07{\pm}0.05\;mg/100g)$ and flavonoids contents was 2-fold higher in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge $(4.82{\pm}1.16\;mg/100g)$ than the other samples. Electron donating abilities of Zizyphus jujuba Miller, Cornus officinalis Siebold et Zuccarini and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge were over $90\%$ at $1000{\mu}g/mL$. Reducing power had similar tendency to electron donating ability while reducing power was significantly lower in samples compared to BHT. Two samples (Prunella vulgaris Linne val. lilacina Nakai and Inula japonica Thunberg) were found to have more than $50\%$ nitrite scavenging effect at $500{\mu}g/mL$ while 8 kinds samples (Zizyphus jujuba Miller, Cornus officinalis Siebold 81 Zuccarini, Chrysanthemum indicum Linne, Prunella vulgaris Linne var. lilacina Nakai, Inula japonica Thunberg, Acanthopanax sessiliflorum Seeman, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Curcuma longa Linne) showed more than $50\%$ nitrite scavenging effect at $1000{\mu}g/mL$. Prunella vulgaris Linne var. lilacina Nakai showed significantly stronger nitrite scavenging effect than other samples, and its activity was $59.62{\pm}1.573\%$ and $80.58{\pm}0.300\%$ at concentrations of 250 and $1000{\mu}g/mL$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.233-238
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• 1985

A number of sedative alkaloids were isolated from Sanjoin(酸棗仁), the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris Lamark var. spinosus Bunge (Rhamnaceae) which is an important Chinese medicinal material used to treat insomnia and sometimes to treat sleepiness. Those compounds were designated as Sanjoinine-A, B, C, D, etc. depending on the order of increasing polarity. Sanjoinine-A, $C_{31}H_{42}N_4O_4$, $mp\;249^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{27}_D-316$, Sanjoinine-B, $C_{30}H_{40}N_4O_4$, $mp\;212{\sim}4^{\circ}$, Sanjoinene, $C_{29}H_{35}N_3O_4$, $mp\;281{\sim}2^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{22}_D-272$, Sanjoinine-D, $C_{32}H_{46}N_4O_5$, $mp\;256{\sim}8^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{22}_D-53.6$, Sanjoinine-F, $C_{31}H_{42}N_4O_5$, $mp\;228{\sim}9^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{22}_D-215$, and $Sanjoinine-G_1,\;C_{31}H_{44}N_4O_5,\;mp\;236{\sim}8^{\circ},\;[{\alpha}]^{22}_D-68.6$, were found as 14-membered cyclic peptide alkaloids, $Sanjoinine-G_2,\;C_{30}H_{42}N_4O_4,\;mp\;182^{\circ},\;[{\alpha}]^{22}_D-79.2$, as being open chain peptide alkaloid, and Sanjoinine-E, $C_{19}H_{21}NO_2$, $mp\;166^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D-146.2$, N-Methylasimilobine, $C_{18}H_{19}NO_2$, $mp\;193{\sim}5^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D-204$, Sanjoinine-Ia, $C_{18}H_{19}NO_2$, $mp\;155{\sim}7^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D-140$, Sanjoinine-Ib, $C_{19}H_{21}NO_4$, $mp\;184^{\circ}$, Sanjoinine-K, $C_{16}H_{19}NO_3$, $mp\;159{\sim}61^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D+35$, Caaverine, $C_{17}H_{17}NO_2$, $mp\;204^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D-80$, and Zizyphusine, $C_{20}H_{24}NO_4$, $mp\;214{\sim}6^{\circ}$, $[{\alpha}]^{20}_D+317$ as being aporphine alkaloids. The heat treatment of the cyclic peptide alkaloids produced their isomeric products which showed enhanced sedative activity. The chemical structure of the isomeric products will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 1997

Objects : Sanjoin, the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus has been used as the most important hypnotic agent in chinese medicine to treat insomnia. This research was performed in order to examine the effect of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A which are components of Sanjoin. Method : Sleeping time, sleep recordings of EEG, EMG, serum serotonin level, and locomotor activity were measured in rats which received betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A as sleep induction material extracted from Sanjoin. Results : 1) Groups received betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed increased sleep time than control group with saline. 2) Groups with betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, lorazepam and saline recorded ${\beta}$-wave in sleep recordings of EEG. In EMG, there was no significant difference among all groups. 3) No significant difference in serum serotonin level among all groups was found. 4) In autonomic activity testing, groups of betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed significantly more decreased in activity than saline group. In comparison of groups of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A with a group of lorazepam, there was no significant difference. Conclusion : These results suggest that betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A have the sedative effect like lorazepam rather than sleep effect.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.399-402
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• 2002

Angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) belongs to the class of zinc protease and plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory activities of medicinal plant extracts on ACE. Fifty medicinal plants were selected and the extracts were prepared by refluxing with 70% methanol. Among the extracts, eleven medicinal plant extracts such as Sedum sarmentosum Bunge, Petasites japonicus(s.et z.) Max, Rubus coreanus, Morus bombycis Koidz, Acorus calamus var. angustatus, Glycyrhiza glabra, Equisetum hyemale, Portulaca oleracea L., Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina Nakai, Sorbus commixta Hedl, Allium thunbergii showed more than 50% inhibitory activities, and Paeonia suffruticosa Andr., lnula helenium, Acanthopanax senticosus Harms, Dendrobium moniliforme, Juglans mandshurica, Zizyphus jujuba, Leonurus artemisia, Aster scaber Thunb, Vitex rotundifolia, Platycodon grandiflorum, Prunus persica, Ligularia fischeri showed $40{\sim}49%$ inhibitory activities. Therefore these extracts which contain high ACE inhibitory activities may be useful as antihypertension agents and to the treatment of hypertension.