Phytochemical constituents were isolated from the fruits of Acanthopanax chiisanensis by repeated column chromatography. Their structures were identified as beta-sitosterol (1), daucosterol (2), sesamin (3), chiisanogenin (4), and 22alpha-hydroxy chiisanogenin (5) by spectroscopic analysis (MS, 1H-, and 13C-NMR). Compounds 1 - 5 were isolated for the first time from the fruits of A. chiisanensis.
Eleutherococcus* ; Araliaceae ; Chromatography ; Fruit* ; Terpenes*

OBJECTIVETo study the community characteristics of Acanthopanax giraldii and its role and adaptability in the community.

METHODThe methods of community ecology were used to investigate vegetation composition in different sample plots and the number of the clumps and clonal ramets. The importance value of species and biodiversity index of each plot was calculated. The life form spectra in different community were counted. The chi-square test was applied to analyze the dependence degree of A. giraldii to other main shrub species in the community.

RESULTThe investigation had showed that A. giraldii community could be divided into three types. The number of A. giraldii population in each type had great difference. Statistical analysis had shown that there's no correlation between the growth of A. giraldii with biodiversity and no significant interspecific association between A. giraldii and other main shrub species in the community yet.

CONCLUSIONThe population growth of A. giraldii was sensitive to Sunshine. A. giraldii maybe has the biological characteristics for artificial planting as a single population.

OBJECTIVETo isolate and elucidate the chemical constituents of the fruits of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus.

METHODIsolation and purification were carried out on the column chromatography of silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. Their structures were elucidated on basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data.

RESULTNine compounds were isolated and identified as oleanolic acid-3-O-6'-O-methyl-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside (1), 22-alpha-hydroxychiisanogenin (2), oleanolic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside (3), oleanolic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), oleanolic acid (5), chiisanogenin (6), (-)-sesamin (7), daucosterol (8), beta-sitosterol (9).

CONCLUSIONCompound 1 is obtained from the genus Acanthopanax genus for the first time. Compounds 2-5 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

The growth parameters,clonal propagation parameters and sexual reproduction parameters of Acanthopanax giraldii population were systematically investigated and analyzed by means of population ecology in this study. The correlation among the above mentioned parameters and the correlation among canopy density,topography and soil fertility factors were analyzed. It is clear that there was a significant correlation among the clonal ramets,the fruit production capacity of the cluster and the new shoot production capacity of the A. giraldii. Sexual reproduction and clonal reproduction played an important role in the continuation of the population. Illumination was the key ecological factor that determined growth type. The increase in canopy density changed the population from " group clonal growth" to " guerrilla clonal growth",and the higher stand closure degree and low-strength herb layer competition was a necessary condition for seed germination and colonization. Under the background of natural forest protection and sustainable development of resources,the reproductive characteristics of wild A. giraldii resulted in the decrease of its recoverable quantity.
Ecosystem ; Eleutherococcus ; growth & development ; physiology ; Forests ; Reproduction ; Soil

The activities on the inhibition of NO on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages were investigated in this work. A simple and sensitive method has been developed and validated for fingerprinting analysis of leaves of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W.W. Smith (AGS). The cytotoxicity and inhibition of NO on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells of the extract and triterpenoids were determined. Optimal conditions of HPLC analysis were established as follows. The separation was performed with an ODS-C18 column at 30 degrees C, the detected wavelength was 210 nm, the flow rate was 1 mL/min, and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile (0.05% phosphoric acid) -0.05% phosphoric acid solution with gradient elution. Our results showed that impressic acid and acankoreaogenin was more effective on the inhibition of NO than the methanol extract and other compounds. There were seventeen peaks coexisted with similarities above 0.95 and nine lupane-triterpenoids including acankoreaogenin and impressic acid detected and identified. The result of anti-inflammatory activities provides a potential explanation for the use of AGS leaves as a herbal medicine in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Our results also show that acankoreanogenin and impressic acid may be potentially useful in developing new anti-inflammatory agents. In addition, the fingerprint chromatography clearly illustrated and confirmed the material basis for the anti-inflammatory activities of this plant.
Eleutherococcus* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Chromatography ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dermatoglyphics* ; Herbal Medicine ; Macrophages ; Methanol ; Plants

High-performance liquid chromatography was performed in order to analyze the changes in the flavonoid content (rutin, hyperin, afzelin, quercetin, and kaempferol) of Acanthopanax divaricatus and A. koreanum, in response to different cultivation methods (pinching height, planting time, and top dressing). The total flavonoid content of A. divaricatus and A. koreanum ranged from 0.201 to 0.690 mg/g with different pinching heights, 0.143 to 1.001 mg/g for different planting times, and 0.156 to 1.074 mg/g depending on the rate of fertilizer application. In both A. divaricatus and A. koreanum, the total flavonoid content in the upper section of the plant was greater than that in the lower section. These results demonstrate which cultivation methods maximize the flavonoid content of A. divaricatus and A. koreanum, and thus help to optimize flavonoid yields to improve production for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical applications.
Eleutherococcus* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Dietary Supplements ; Flavonoids* ; Methods* ; Plants ; Quercetin

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: It has been proved that Pleurotus eryngii Quel and Eleutherococcus senticosus have antiinflammatory action and not only stimulates the proliferation and activity of osteoblast but inhibits the generation and activity of osteoclast in vitro. Pleurotus eryngii Quel and Eleutherococcus senticosus are the main component of OPB-K(R). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate OPB-K(R) which enhances the healing rate of peri-implant bone and the bone mineral density. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty six specially designed implants were installed in the tibia of rats. The group medicated with OPB-K(R) was the experimental group, and that without was the control group. hen the implant stability was measured by Periotest(R). Bone mineral density and histological measurement were conducted at the 2nd, 4th and 6th week Periotest(R) and bone mineral density values were analyzed statistically with independent t-test at 95% confidence level(P<0.05). RESULTS: The results of this study were as follows : 1. There was no statistically significant difference in Periotest(R) values between the experimental group and control group at the 2nd week, however, on the 4th and 6th week there was significant difference(P<0.05). 2. There was no statistically significant difference in bone mineral density between the experimental group and control group at the 2nd and 4th week, however on the 6th week there was significant difference(P<0.05). 3. Histological analysis showed difference in osseointegration on the 4th and 6th week between the groups. CONCLUSION: From the results, it is concluded that the OPB-K(R) medicated group showed statistically better results in bone density and stability than the control group. Clinically it would be better to medicate OPB-K(R) to patients for a long period of time after implantation to get superior results.
Animals ; Bone Density ; Eleutherococcus ; Humans ; Osseointegration ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Pleurotus ; Rats ; Tibia

Acanthopanax koreanum Nakai, a well known traditional herb grown in Jeju Island, South of Korea, has been used as a tonic and sedative agent, as well as in the treatment of diabetes and immune diseases. Mutagenicity of two lignans, syringaresinol and tortoside A isolated from A. koreanum, was assessed using Salmonella/microsome (Ames) test. Tester strains used were Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA. The mutagenic activity was determined both in the absence or presence of S9 mixture. As a result, tortoside A did not cause any increase in the number of his+ revertants in S. typhimurium and E. coli WP2uvrA strains in the presence or absence of S9 mix, compared to the controls. Similarly, low concentrations of syringaresinol (750 and 1,500 microg/plate) did not show any mutagenic properties in all bacterial strains, in the presence or absence of S9 mixture. However, in the high concentration of syringaresinol (3,000 microg/plate), the number of revertants were increased in TA1535 strains, in the absence of S9 metabolic activation. Therefore, in vivo experiments such as comet assay are needed to further determine the genotoxic/carciogenic potential of syringaresinol isolated from A. koreanum.
Eleutherococcus* ; Biotransformation ; Comet Assay ; Escherichia coli ; Immune System Diseases ; Korea ; Lignans* ; Salmonella typhimurium

Nineteen compounds, including one organic acid (1), one anthraquinone (2), one amide (3), and sixteen triterpenoid saponins (4 - 19) were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax henryi (Oliv.) Harms (Araliaceae). Their structures were determined on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral analyses (HR-MS and NMR). Among them, compounds 2, 3, 7, 12 and 19 were new within Araliaceae. Compounds 4, 5, 9 - 11, 13, 14, 16 and 18 were reported for the first time from the Acanthopanax genus. Except for compounds 4 and 9, other compounds were isolated from A. henryi (Oliv.) Harms for the first time. The rare anthraquinone, compound 2, significantly decreased the production of NO and the levels of other inflammatory factors, such as TNF-alpha and IL-6, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. This is the first time to report anti-inflammatory effect of this compound.
Eleutherococcus* ; Araliaceae ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Nitric Oxide ; Saponins ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the effects of immune cell activation and the antitumor effect for the combination of treatment with X-irradiation and Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim Root (ESMR) on mouse tumor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ESMR (250g) was extracted with 80% methanol, concentrated under decompression and lyophilized. To determine whether ESMR is able to activate the immune cells or not, the proliferation of splenocytes in vitro and the number of B cells and T cells in splenic lymphocytes in ESMR-pretreated mice were evaluated. X-irradiation was given to the mouse fibrosarcoma tumor cells (FSa II) by 250 kv X-irradiation machine. The cytotoxicity of ESMR was evaluated from its ability to reduce the clonogenecity of FSa II cells. In X-irradiation alone group, each 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy was given to FSa II cells. In X-irradiation with ESMR group, 0.2 mg/ml of ESMR was exposed to FSa II cells for 1 hour before X-irradiation. RESULTS: The proliferation of cultured mouse splenocytes and thymocytes were enhanced by the addition of ESMR in vitro. The number of B cells and T cells in mouse splenic lymphocytes was significantly increased in ESMR pretreated mice in vivo. In FSa II cells that received a combination of 0.2 mg/ml of ESMR with X-irradiation exposure, the survival fraction with a dose of 2, 4 and 6 Gy was 0.39+/-0.005, 0.22+/-0.005 and 0.06+/-0.007, respectively. For FSa II cells treated with X-irradiation alone, the survival fraction with a dose of 2, 4 and 6 Gy was 0.76+/-0.02, 0.47+/-0.008 and 0.37+/-0.01. The difference in the survival fraction of the mouse FSa II cells treated with and without ESMR was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Treatment with ESMR increased cell viability of mouse splenocytes in vitro and especially the subpopulation of B cells and T cells in splenocytes in ESMR-pretreated mice. However, treatment with ESMR did not increase the level of Th and Tc subpopulations in the thymocytes. Treatment with the combination of ESMR and X-irradiation was more cytotoxic to mouse tumor cells than treatment with X-irradiation alone; this finding was statistically significant.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cell Survival ; Decompression ; Eleutherococcus* ; Fibrosarcoma ; Lymphocytes ; Methanol ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes ; Thymocytes