Study on the anti-inflammatory active ingredients extracted from the n-butanol extract of Polygonatum sibiricum
Acanthopanax henryi (Oliv.) Harms is a deciduous shrub or tree that grows on the edge of forests or shrubs at an altitude of 1000~3200 meters in the family Araliaceae. As a specialty plant of China, it is widely distributed in Hunan, Sichuan, Anhui, Zhejiang and other places. The plants of the Aralia genus play an important role in traditional medicine in countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan. Its dry root bark and stem bark are famous traditional medicines commonly used in folk medicine to treat rheumatism, arthritis, paralysis, muscle and bone pain, etc; Its leaves are usually consumed as a multifunctional vegetable soup ingredient in tea drinks or folk medicine. Rough leaved Wujia root bark (also known as Wujia bark) is included in the local standards of traditional Chinese medicine in Hunan Province. It has the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation and relaxing tendons, regulating qi and relieving pain. It is mainly used to treat rheumatism, numbness, muscle and bone weakness, edema, traumatic injuries, hernia and abdominal pain. In our preliminary research, monoterpenes, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, lignans, steroids, phenylpropanoids, diterpenes, fatty acids, and other compounds were isolated and identified from the fruit, leaves, roots, root bark, stems, and flowers of Acanthopanax senticosus. At the same time, we have conducted successive studies and reports on the anti neuroinflammation, anti-inflammatory, anti fat generation, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti acetylcholinesterase activities related to these monomeric compounds obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine rough leaf wujia. However, so far, research on the fruit of Acanthopanax senticosus has mostly focused on the ethyl acetate fraction, and there are few reports on the material basis of its n-butanol extraction fraction. Further attention is needed to the study and discovery of the highly polar chemical components in Acanthopanax senticosus fruit.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of the outer wall of Gram negative bacterial cells, consisting of lipids and polysaccharides (glycolipids). When LPS acts on Toll like receptors expressed on RAW264.7 macrophages, it activates various inflammatory signaling pathways. These activated macrophages often produce and release large amounts of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor – α (TNF – α), interleukins (ILs), etc. On the basis of previous research, in order to further clarify the anti-inflammatory substance basis of the fruit of the traditional Chinese medicine Wujia, and to explore the potential of its highly polar components, in order to expand the medicinal parts of this plant resource, we conducted the first study on the anti-inflammatory active ingredients of the n-butanol extract of Wujia fruit based on the LPS induced RAW264.7 macrophage model.

This experiment is the first to use lipopolysaccharide (LPS) – induced macrophage RAW264.7 as a biological activity screening model to study the anti-inflammatory and pharmacological substance basis of n-butanol extract from the fruit of Acanthopanax senticosus. 17 compounds were isolated and identified, including 3 flavonoid glycosides, 7 caffeoylquinic acids, and 7 monoterpenoid glycosides (see Figure 1). We conducted relevant research on the roots and root bark of Acanthopanax senticosus and reported 22 compounds, including 9 lignans, 4 caffeoylquinic acids, 3 phenolic acids, 2 steroids, 1 diterpenoid, 1 coumarin, 1 long-chain fatty acid, and 1 alkaloid. The main components are lignans, caffeoylquinic acids, phenolic acids, and steroids. In order to further expand the medicinal parts of Polygonatum sibiricum resources and explore whether its fruit parts can replace its traditional medicinal parts (roots) in medicine, based on our previous research foundation, 18 monomeric compounds were isolated and identified from the ethyl acetate extraction parts of Polygonatum sibiricum fruit, including 5 lignans, 4 monoterpenes, 2 flavonoid glycosides, 1 phenolic acid, 1 coumarin, 1 phenylpropanoid glycoside, 1 furfural, 1 maltol, 1 phenylpropanoid glycoside, and 1 triterpenoid glycoside. The main component types are lignans and monoterpenes; We found that the main pharmacological substances of the fruit of Acanthopanax senticosus are flavonoids, caffeoylquinic acids, monoterpenes, and lignans. Comparing the chemical composition of fruits and roots, it was initially found that there are certain differences in their material basis, indicating that each part has different uses. Therefore, differentiation should be made in their use. This article further enriches the chemical connotation of the Chinese specialty plant, Acanthopanax senticosus, providing a scientific basis and theoretical reference for further research on this plant in the future.