Effects of apocynin, a drug isolated from the roots of Picrorhiza kurroa, on arachidonic acid metabolism

FEBS Letters

Engels, Ferdi²  Nijkamp, Frans P.²  't Hart, Bert A.¹  Renirie, Bastien F.²  Labadie, Rudi P.³ 

[1] Department of Chronic and Infectious Diseases, TNO Institute for Applied Radiobiology and Immunology, Rijswijk, The Netherlands;Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

关键词: Apocynin;    Arachidonic acid metabolism;    Prostaglandin;    Thromboxane;    Platelet aggregation;   

DOI  :  10.1016/0014-5793(92)80680-F

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Apocynin is a constituent of root extracts of the medicinal herb Picrorhiza kurroa and has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated the effects of apocynin on the production of arachidonic acid-derived inflammatory mediators by guinea pig pulmonary macrophages. Apocynin concentration-dependently inhibited the formation of thromboxane A₂, whereas the release of prostaglandins E₂ and F_2α was stimulated. Apocynin potently inhibited arachidonic acid-induced aggregation of bovine platelets, possibly through inhibition of thromboxane formation. The present results suggest that apocynin might, beside its therapeutic effects in inflammatory conditions when given in a root extract of P. kurroa, also be a valuable tool in the development of new anti-inflammatory or anti-thrombic drugs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown