Potential inhibitors of microglial activation from the roots of Wikstroemia lichiangensis W. W. Sm

Zisong Bai; Yingjie Wang; Qingqi Meng; Libin Xu; Gang Chen; Di Zhou; Bin Lin; Yue Hou; Ning Li

doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113767

Potential inhibitors of microglial activation from the roots of Wikstroemia lichiangensis W. W. Sm

Phytochemistry. 2023 Sep:213:113767. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113767. Epub 2023 Jun 20.

Authors

Zisong Bai¹, Yingjie Wang², Qingqi Meng³, Libin Xu³, Gang Chen², Di Zhou², Bin Lin⁴, Yue Hou³, Ning Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory for TCM Material Basis Study and Innovative Drug Development of Shenyang City, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, PR China; Key Laboratory of Bioresource Research and Development of Liaoning Province, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110169, China; School of Food and Drug, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471934, China.
² School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory for TCM Material Basis Study and Innovative Drug Development of Shenyang City, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, PR China.
³ Key Laboratory of Bioresource Research and Development of Liaoning Province, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110169, China.
⁴ School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
⁵ School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory for TCM Material Basis Study and Innovative Drug Development of Shenyang City, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, PR China. Electronic address: liningsypharm@163.com.

PMID: 37348747
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113767

Abstract

Research on natural inhibitors of microglial overactivation derived from members of the Wikstroemia genus revealed that the extract of W. lichiangensis W. W. Sm. Has a remarkable inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in overactivated microglia. In the present study, thirty-four compounds, including five undescribed sesquiterpenoids [wiksdauctins A-B (1-2) and wikscarotins A-C (3-5)] and one undescribed lignan [wikstroeminasin A (8)], were isolated from a 95% EtOH extract of W. lichiangensis roots using bio-guided phytochemical research. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Furthermore, their anti-neuroinflammatory effects were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglia. Seventeen isolated compounds exhibited stronger inhibitory effects than positive control minocycline (IC₅₀ values of 67.08 ± 1.95 μM), with IC₅₀ values ranging from 7.35 ± 2.51 to 64.49 ± 3.38 μM. The findings of this study imply that the isolated compounds might serve as potential therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Anti-neuroinflammatory effect; Microglia; Phytochemical research; Thymeleaceae; Wikstroemia lichiangensis.

MeSH terms

Lignans* / pharmacology
Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology
Microglia
Nitric Oxide
Plant Extracts / pharmacology
Wikstroemia*

Substances

Plant Extracts
Lignans
Nitric Oxide
Lipopolysaccharides