title: Effect of steroidal saponins of Anemarrhenae rhizoma on superoxide generation in human neutrophils.
abstract: Effect of six steroidal saponins isolated from Anemarrhenae rhizoma on superoxide generation in human neutrophils was investigated. The steroidal saponins examined were anemarrhenasaponin-I (An-I), anemarrhenasaponin-Ia (An-Ia), timosaponin B-I (TB-I), timosaponin B-II (TB-II), timosaponin B-III (TB-III) and timosaponin A-III (TA-III). An-I, An-Ia, and TB-III suppressed the superoxide generations induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) and arachidonic acid (AA) in a concentration-dependent manner, but enhanced that induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). While TB-II also suppressed and enhanced the superoxide generations induced by fMLP and PMA, respectively, the compound significantly enhanced the AA-induced superoxide generation. TB-I enhanced the fMLP-induced superoxide generation in a low concentration range (peak at 40 microM), gave no effect on the PMA-induced superoxide generation and weakly enhanced the AA-induced superoxide generation. TA-III enhanced the fMLP-induced superoxide generation more than twice as much as that by TB-I in the same concentration range. However, TA-III enhanced the PMA-induced superoxide generation and most significantly suppressed the AA-induced superoxide generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Department of Medical Biology, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sagara
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kodama
mesh_terms: D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D012503:Saponins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012503:Saponins; D013481:Superoxides; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; D011239:Prednisolone; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate