Arachidonic acid can also be converted to leukotrienes, which are involved in asthma, by a pathway the first enzyme of which is usually lipoxygenase (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase, EC 1.13.11.34). components. Hook. f. (Celastraceae) is usually a woody vine native to Eastern and Southern China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (Ma et al., 1999). In China this herb, known as lei kung teng or lei gong teng (Thunder God Vine), has a long history of use in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating swelling, fever, chills, sores, joint pain, and inflammation (Tao et al., 1991; Li, 1993). Preparations of began to be used in allopathic medicine in China in the 1960s to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammation (Tao and Lipsky, 2000). Since then they have also been utilized for malignancy, chronic ABBV-4083 nephritis, hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, and a variety of skin conditions (Juling et al., 1981; Qin ABBV-4083 et al., 1981; Xu et al., 1985; Takaishi et al., 1992a; Li, 1993). Biochemical analysis has shown that contains a vast array of natural products with strong biological activities, which may explain its multiple uses in traditional and allopathic Rabbit Polyclonal to CYTL1 medicine in China. Triptolide (1), a diterpenoid epoxide sometimes referred to as PG490 (Fig. 1), is usually believed to be the major active component of extracts (Tao et al., 1995, 1998; Duan et al., 2001a). Most of the antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive activities of extracts can be attributed to triptolide (1). The clinical and pharmacological effects of triptolide (1) have been reviewed recently (Chen, 2001; Qiu and Kao, 2003; Zhu et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2005). However, several other compounds present in may contribute to the biological activity of the extracts and may substantially modify the effects of triptolide (1). Therefore, the efficacy of these extracts in disease treatment may be greater than that of triptolide (1) alone, due to additive or even synergistic effects between different compounds in ABBV-4083 the extracts, for example with tripdiolide (31). This review summarizes the pharmacology of extracts, a topic discussed in more detail elsewhere (Tao and Lipsky, 2000; Qiu and Kao, 2003; Ho and Lai, 2004), and discusses related activities exhibited by other compounds found in this genus. Open in a separate windows Fig. 1 Structure of triptolide (1). 2. Taxonomy of the genus have been explained, including T. Sprague and Takeda, native to Japan and Korea; (H. Lv.) Hutch., and Loes., from China; and Ohwi, also from Japan. (known in Chinese as kunmiminshanhaitang (Xia et al., 1994), shan hai ton, san hai ton, or zi jin pi), and have also been used in TCM (Tao and Lipsky, 2000). Some authors consider these to be varieties of rather than individual species, and the most recent taxonomic treatment of the genus reduced all other species to synonymy with (Ma et al., 1999). Several taxonomic listings (GRIN, W3TROPICOS, Kew) still identify multiple species, however, and at least one commercial nursery (Plantsman) distinguishes and T. regelii based on differences in the leaves, plants, fruit, and chilly hardiness. Because of the lack of taxonomic clarity and absence of reliable botanical vouchering for the herb sources used in many studies, we prefer to refer to the source plants by the generic epithet only. Clearly more research around the taxonomy of genus is needed considering the pharmacological potential of this herb. 3. Terpenoid biosynthesis To date, over 380 secondary metabolites have been reported from species. Of these, 95% are terpenoids. Because terpenoids dominate the medicinal chemistry of this plant, the scope of this review was limited to these compounds. chemistry in general has been examined by Hegnauer (1964, 1989) and by ABBV-4083 Lu et al. (1987). The terpenoids are derived from C5 isoprene models joined in a head-to-tail fashion. They are represented by (C5)and are classified as hemiterpenes (C5), monoterpenes (C10), sesquiterpenes (C15), diterpenes (C20 such as triptolide (1) and tripdiolide (31)), sesterterpenes (C25), triterpenes (C30) and tetraterpenes (C40) (Dewick, 1998). The active isoprene models that are synthesized into terpenoids are the diphosphate esters dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP). In higher plants, the biosynthesis of terpenoids proceeds via two impartial pathways localized in different cellular ABBV-4083 compartments. The mevalonate (MVA) pathway in the cytoplasm is responsible for the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes and triterpenes. Plastids contain the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DOXP) pathway for the biosynthesis of monoterpenes, diterpenes, and tetraterpenes (Lichtenthaler, 1999). In the cytoplasm-localized MVA pathway, three molecules of acetyl-coenzyme A are used to produce MVA (Beale and MacMillan, 1988). Two ATP react with MVA to produce mevalonate diphosphate, followed by decarboxylation and dehydration with the involvement.