Planta Med 2008; 74(10): 1246-1252
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1074581
Pharmacology
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Phenols from the Roots of Rheum palmatum Attenuate Chemotaxis in Rat Hepatic Stellate Cells

Yun-Lian Lin1 , Ching-Fen Wu1 , Yi-Tsau Huang2
  • 1National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
  • 2Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Further Information

Publication History

Received: November 29, 2007 Revised: May 5, 2008

Accepted: May 13, 2008

Publication Date:
08 July 2008 (online)

Abstract

In liver injury, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) acquire an activated phenotype, migrate to the injured region in response to chemotactic factors and produce extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen in order to repair the damage. HSC-T6, a cell line of rat HSCs, was used in in vitro experiments. TGF-β1 was used as a chemoattractant. The expression of α-SMA was used as a marker of activated hepatic stellate cells and cell migration was assayed with the Transwell method to investigate the active principles of the roots of Rheum palmatum L. (Dahuang), a well-known traditional Chinese herb used for treating liver diseases. Under cell activation and chemotaxis-directed fractionation and purification, four anthraquinones, rhein (1), emodin (2), chrysophanol (3) and physcion (4), and four phenylbutanoids, lindleyin (5), isolindleyin (7), 4-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), and 4-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (9), and a stilbene, 3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside 6′-O-gallate (6) were isolated from the active fractions. Among them, compounds 1 and 2 inhibited α-SMA expression. However, compounds 3, 4, 6 and 8 attenuated chemotactic migration, but not α-SMA expression.

Abbreviations

α-SMA:α-smooth muscle actin

CI:chemotaxis index

ECM:extracellular matrix

HSCs:hepatic stellate cells

Rh:ethanolic extract of the roots of Rheum palmatum

TGF:transforming growth factor

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Yun-Lian Lin, Ph.D

National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine

No.155–1, Li-Nong Street, Sect. 2

Taipei 112

Taiwan

R.O.C.

Phone: +886/2/2820/1999 ext 6531

Email: yllin@nricm.edu.tw