• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.196-200
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• 1989

The methanolic extract of the Rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria exhibited a significant prolongation of hexobarbital (HB)-induced hypnosis. Through liquid chromatography of an ether soluble fraction. monitoring by bioassay, three sequiterpenes, germacrone (A), curzerenone (B) and germacrone epoxide (C) were isolated as active consituents. A single treatment (100-200 mg/kg, i.p.) of each compound showed not only a significant prolongation of HB-induced sleeping time but also a significant inhibition of aminopyrine N-demethylase activity in mice, and further exhibited a typical type I binding spectra with oxidized rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 induced by phenobarbital. All of the compounds provoked a sleep episode at a subhypnotic dose of HB, implying that they possess CNS depressant properties.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.238-243
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• 2019

In this study, the marker compounds of Curcumae Rhizoma (CR) were simultaneously quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a photodiode array detector and the anti-inflammatory effects of CR extract and marker compounds in human benign prostatic hyperplasia epithelial-1 (BPH-1) cell lines were investigated. The marker components (4S,5S)-(+)-germacrone-4,5-epoxide, furanodienone, and germacrone, were separated on Gemini $C_{18}$ columns ($250mm{\times}4.6mm$, $5{\mu}m$) at $40^{\circ}C$ by using a gradient of two mobile phases eluting at 1.0 mL/min. Prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) levels in Human BPH-1 cells were determined with an ELISA kit. The coefficients of determination in a calibration curve of each analyte were all 0.9997. The limits of detection and quantification of the three compounds were $0.10-0.32{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.30-0.98{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The content of three compounds, (4S,5S)-(+)-germacrone-4,5-epoxide, furanodienone, and germacrone, in the CR sample were found to be 5.79 - 5.92 mg/g, 4.72 - 4.86 mg/g, and 1.06 - 1.09 mg/g, respectively. Regarding pharmacological activity against benign prostatic hyperplasia, CR and its components significantly suppressed $PGE_2$ levels of BPH-1 cells. The established analysis method will help to improve quality assessment of CR samples and related products. In addition, CR and its components exhibit antiinflammatory activity in BPH-1 cells, suggesting the inhibitory efficacy of these compounds against the pathogenesis of BPH.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.845-848
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• 2006

Three new sesquiterpene hydroperoxides, 1-[3-(2-hydroperoxy-3-methylbut-3-en)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethanone (2), $7{\beta}-hydroperoxy-eudesma-11-en-4-ol$ (3), and $7{\alpha}-hydroperoxymanool$ (4), together with three known compounds, germacrone (1), ent-germacra-4(15),5,10(14)-trien-$1{\alpha}$-ol (5) and teucdiol A (6) were isolated from the aerial parts of Aster spathulifolius (Compositae). Their structures were characterized using chemical and spectroscopic methods. The isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines in vitro using a SRB method. The two new compounds, 3 and 4, showed moderate cytotoxicity against human cancer cells with $ED_{50}$ values ranging from 0.24 to $13.27\;{\mu}g/mL$.