Find in Library

The roots of <i>Polygala tenuifolia</i> Wild (Polygalaceae), which is among the most important components of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, have been widely used for over 1000 years to treat a variety of diseases. In the current investigation of secondary metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties from Korean medicinal plants, a phytochemical constituent study led to the isolation of 15 compounds (<b>1</b>–<b>15</b>) from the roots of <i>P. tenuifolia</i> via a combination of chromatographic methods. Their structures were determined by means of spectroscopic data such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 1D- and 2D-NMR, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). As the obtained results, the isolated compounds were divided into two groups—phenolic glycosides (<b>1</b>–<b>9</b>) and triterpenoid saponins (<b>10</b>–<b>15</b>). The anti-inflammatory effects of crude extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds were investigated on the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 p40, IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor-α in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. The IC₅₀ values, ranging from 0.08 ± 0.01 to 21.05 ± 0.40 μM, indicated potent inhibitory effects of the isolated compounds on the production of all three pro-inflammatory cytokines. In particular, compounds <b>3</b>–<b>12</b>, <b>14</b>, and <b>15</b> showed promising anti-inflammatory activity. These results suggest that phenolic and triterpenoid saponins from <i>P. tenuifolia</i> may be excellent anti-inflammatory agents.