The extract of the root of Acanthopanax chiisanensis Nakai is used for the treatment of inflammation. To analyse the action mechanism of this extract, the effect of hyperin (quercetin-3-O-beta-d-galactose) isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the root of A. chiisanensis on nitrite production and induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 microg/mL)-stimulated rat peritoneal macrophages were examined. The effect of the structurally related compounds, isoquercitrin (quercetin-3-O-beta-d-glucose) and quercetin (an aglycone of the two compounds) isolated from the extract of the leaves of Vaccinium koreanum Nakai was also examined to compare the effect. It was shown that hyperin inhibited the LPS-induced iNOS expression and nitrite production. Of the three compounds, quercetin showed the most potent inhibitory activity. The phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were also inhibited by these compounds. These findings suggested that hyperin in the extract of the root of A. chiisanensis inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production through inhibition of the expression of iNOS by attenuation of p44/p42 MAPK, p38 MAPK and JNK, and thus participates in the antiinflammatory activity of the extract.

-Treatment of the mouse leukemic cell line RAW 264 with bafilomycin A1 or concanamycin A, inhibitors of vacuolar-type (H + )-ATPases (V-ATPases), significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased cell viability. These effects were significantly suppressed by the presence of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an ROS scavenger. si-RNA mediated knockdown of the gene for the c subunit of the V0 domain of V-ATPase also resulted in an increase in ROS production and a decrease in cell viability. These results suggest that decreased cellular V-ATPase activity decreases cell viability by increasing ROS production in RAW 264 cells.

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