• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-57
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• 1993

The seasonal variations of five biflavones from Ginkgo biloba leaves from May to November were investigated by a reversed phase HPLC method. The total amount of biflavones was increased with time to reach its maximum in yellow autumnal leaves. Each biflavone showed a similar tendency. It increased rapidly about 3.1-fold from May to June and thereafter gradually increased about 2.5-fold. The ratio of each biflavone content to the total amount of biflavones was in the order of as follows: isoginkgetin>sciadopitysin>bilobetin>ginkgetin>amentoflavone.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1996

Flavonoids are widely distributed polyphenol compounds in plant kingdom and known to possess varieties of biological/pharmacological activities in vitro and in vivo. A search for antiinflammatory/immunoregulatory flavonoids as potential therapeutic agents has been continued, since serious side effects of currently used nonsteroidal and steroidal antiinflammatory drugs limit their long term uses for the inflammatory disorders. In this reserch, various flavonids were isolated and tested for their in vivo antiinflammatory activity and in vitro inhibitory activity of lymphocyte proliferation. Using a mouse ear edema assay, it was found that certain flavones/flavonols possess mild antiinflammatory activity and a C-2,3-double bond might be essential. Isoflavones were less active. These flavonoids inhibited in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, relatively specific for T-cell proliferation $(IC_{50}=1-10\;{\mu}M)$ and the inhibition was reversible. We have also tested several biflavonoid derivatives, since we recently found that biflavones were phospholipase $A_2$ inhibitors. It was demonstrated that biflavones such as ochnaflavone and ginkgetin inhibited lymphocyte proliferation induced by both concanavaline A and lipopolysaccharide. The inhibition was irreversible in contrast to that of flavones/flavonols. And antiinflammatory activity of biflavonoids are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 1990

Five biflavones and sevenflavonolglycosideswereisolatedfromtheleaves of Ginkgo biloba. They were sciadopitysin(1), ginkgetin(2), isoginkgetin(3), bilobetin(4), amentoflavone(5), kaempferol 3-O-[$6'-O-{\rho}-coumaroyl-{\beta}-_D-glucopyranosyl(1{\rightarrow}2)-{\alpha}-_Lrhamnopyranoside$](6), quercetin 3-O-[$6'-O-{\rho}-coumaroyl-{\beta}-_D-glucopyranosyl(1{\rightarrow}2)-{\alpha}-_Lrhamnopyranoside$](8), rutinosides of kaempferol(7), isorhamnetin(9), quercetin(10), laricitrin(11), and kaempferol 3-O-($2',6'-{\alpha}-_L-dirhamnopyranosyl-{\beta}-_{D}-glucopyranoside$)(12). The structures were established by spectroscopic and chemical methods.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.170-178
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• 2000

Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds widely distributed in plant kingdom. Although many flavonoids were found to show anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo, the potency of anti-inflammatory activity was not enough for a clinical trial. Thus, a search for finding potential flavonoid molecules is continuing. In this review, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of various flavonoid derivatives is summarized mainly based on the results obtained in authors' laboratories. Among them, several biflavonoids such as amentoflavone and ginkgetin were found to possess anti-inflammatory activity on animal models of acute/chronic inflammation comparable to nonsteroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs currently used. In respect of their action mechanisms, the effects on arachidonic acid metabolism and nitric oxide production were described. Some flavonoids directly inhibit cyclooxygenase and/or lipoxygenase. Biflavones such as ochnaflavone and ginkgetin are inhibitors of phospholipase $A_2$. In recent studies, certain flavonoids were also found to suppress cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression induced by inflammatory stimuli. Therefore, it is suggested that anti-inflammatory activity of the certain flavonoids (mainly flavones, flavonols and biflavonoids) may be mediated by direct inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolizing enzymes as well as suppression of the enzyme expression involved in inflammatory responses.