Abstract:
Hyperricum sampsonii Hance, also known as Sampson St. John’s wort ( 元寶草 ), is traditionally used for the treatment of backache, burns, diarrhea, snakebites, and swelling [1]. A new benzophenone, 4-geranyloxy-6-isoprenyloxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone (1) , has been isolated from the aerial part of H. sampsonii , together with 4 known compounds 2-methoxyxanthone (2), 1-hydroxy-7-methoxyxanthone (3), sampsonione J (4), and 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone 4-O-geranyl ether (5) . The structure of new compound 1 was determined through spectroscopic and MS analyses. Among the isolated compounds, s ampsonione J (3) inhibited NO production with IC50 of 15.0 m M in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, 2-methoxyxanthone (2), 1-hydroxy-7-methoxyxanthone (3), and sampsonione J (4) could suppress LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages and did not induce cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 cells after 24-hour treatment . O ur study suggests H. sampsonii and its isolates may deserve further investigation for the treatment or prevention of various inflammatory diseases.
References :
[1] Jiangsu New Medical College, Dictionary of Chinese Crude Drugs, Shanghai Scientific Technological Publishers, Shanghai, 1977, pp. 345–346