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Planta Med 2004; 70(8): 736-739
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-827204
Original Paper
Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

α-Spinasterol Isolated from the Root of Phytolacca americana and its Pharmacological Property on Diabetic Nephropathy

Seung Il Jeong1 , Kang Ju Kim2 , Min Kyu Choi3 , Kyung Soo Keum4 , Seoul Lee1 , Seon Ho Ahn5 , Seung Hoon Back5 , Ju Hung Song5 , Young Sung Ju6 , Bong Kyu Choi1 , Kyu Yong Jung1
  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Jeonbuk, Korea
  • 2Department of Oral Microbiology, College of Dentistry, Wonkwang University, Jeonbuk, Korea
  • 3Department of Anatomy, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Jeonbuk, Korea
  • 4Department of Oriental Medical Informatics, Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Jeonbuk, Korea
  • 5Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Jeonbuk, Korea
  • 6Department of Herbology, College of Oriental Medicine, Woosuk University, Jeonbuk, Korea
Further Information

Publication History

Received: December 17, 2003

Accepted: May 8, 2004

Publication Date:
24 August 2004 (online)

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Abstract

Based on an inhibitory activity-guided fractionation for the high glucose-induced proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs), chloroform extracts of the roots of Phytolacca americana were found to contain α-spinasterol (C29H48O), a Δ7-sterol. This phytosterol proved to be a potent inhibitor (IC50 = 3.9 × 10-12 g/mL, 9.5 pmol/L) of glomerular mesangial cell proliferation caused by high-ambient glucose (5.6 mM vs. 25 mM), and its inhibitory potency was about 1,000 times higher than that of simvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor used as a positive control. α-Spinasterol also significantly reduced the increases of serum triglycerides, renal weight and urinary protein excretion in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, and these were comparable to the results observed in insulin-treated diabetic mice. Therefore, the results obtained in this study suggest that α-spinasterol has a significant therapeutic potential to modulate the development and/or progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Key words

α-Spinasterol - Phytolacca americana L. - Phytolaccaceae - glomerular mesangial cells - diabetic nephropathy

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Kyu Yong Jung DVM, PhD.

Department of Pharmacology

Wonkwang University School of Medicine

344-2 Shinyong-dong

Iksan

Jeonbuk 570-749

Korea

Phone: +82-63-850-6796

Fax: +82-63-851-0879

Email: wkuniv@wonkwang.ac.kr