title: Anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene lactones from Onopordum illyricum L. (Asteraceae), an Italian medicinal plant.
abstract: Onopordum illyricum L. is a medicinal plant used in the Mediterranean area as antipyretic for the treatment of respiratory and urinary inflammations and to treat skin ulcers. Repeated chromatographic purification of O. illyricum aerial parts led to the isolation of six known sesquiterpenes, which were evaluated for the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory transcription factors NF-κB and STAT3 and for the activation of the transcription factor Nrf2, which regulates the cellular antioxidant response. Structure-activity relationships were interpreted by the NMR-based cysteamine assay. The sesquiterpene lactone vernomelitensin significantly inhibited NF-κB and STAT3, showing also a significant Nrf2 activation. Accordingly, the cysteamine assay selected vernomelitensin as the most reactive of the isolated sesquiterpenes, identifying the α,β-unsaturated aldehyde moiety as responsible for the higher (re)activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Formisano
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environment Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Sant'Ignazio, 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanna
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environment Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Sant'Ignazio, 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballero
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chianese
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sirignano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, I-80131 Naples, Italy. Electronic address: drigano@unina.it.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rigano
authors.affiliation: Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital, Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Córdoba, Avda Menéndez Pidal s/n., 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Estrella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Millán
authors.affiliation: Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital, Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Córdoba, Avda Menéndez Pidal s/n., 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Taglialatela-Scafati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007783:Lactones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D031183:Onopordum / Q000737:chemistry*; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D007783:Lactones; D016328:NF-kappa B; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C583060:vernomelitensin; C075494:onopordopicrin
keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Cysteamine assay; Onopordum illyricum; Sesquiterpenes