Chemistry and Bioactivity of Flos Magnoliae, A Chinese Herb for Rhinitis and Sinusitis

Abstract

Flos Magnoliae (FM, Chinese name: Xin-yi) is one of the most commonly used Chinese medicinal herbs. It has a long history of clinical use for managing rhinitis, sinusitis and headache. More than 20 different FM species have been used clinically, which makes species identification and evaluation of pharmacological effects of individual chemical ingredients difficult. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge on FM phytochemistry and its bioactivity activities. The bioactive compounds in FM include both lipid and water-soluble components. More than 90% of the essential components of FM species are terpenoids, including monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Lignans and neolignans including tetrahydrofurofuran, tetrahydrofuran and aryltetralin are also present in FM species. A small number of water-soluble compounds have been isolated from Magnolia flower buds, including a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid magnoflorine, an ester ethyl-E-p-hydroxyl-cinnamate and a flavonoid biondnoid. A wide range of pharmacological actions of FM have been reported, including anti-allergy, anti-inflammation and anti-microbial activity. The structure-activity relationship analysis revealed the influence of methylation at position 5 on the 3,7-dioxabicyclo-(3,3,0)-octane backbone of six lignans in antagonistic activities against platelet-activating factor. In addition, the trans stereoisomer fargesin had a much lower bioactivity than the cis stereoisomer demethoxyaschantin. Recent studies have been directed towards the isolation of other bioactive compounds. Further studies on FM may help to develop new anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drugs.

A plasma metabonomic investigation into the intervention of volatile oil of Magnolia biondii Pamp on rat model of acute inflammation

“…Pharmacological tests have revealed that Magnolia biondii Pamp possesses significant anti-inflammatory activities (Masayasu et al, 1985;Shen et al, 2008). Volatile oil in Magnolia biondii Pamp (VOMbP), is considered to be one important group of the pharmacologically active individuals against acute inflammation.…”

Applicability of Licorice Extracts for Treatment of Oral Diseases, Evaluated by Simplified In Vitro Assay Systems with Oral Cells

“…More than 80 reports have investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of Kampo medicines (reviewed in Refs. [24] and [25]). However, basic research and clinical studies for the treatment of oral diseases are much less [26][27][28][29][30], and little is known about the relative potency of Kampo medicines.…”

Inhibitory Effects of Dimethyllirioresinol, Epimagnolin A, Eudesmin, Fargesin, and Magnolin on Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Activities in Human Liver Microsomes

“…[1,2,3,4,5]. Magnolin, epimagnolin A, dimethyllirioresinol, eudesmin, and fargesin exhibit various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory activity [6,7,8,9,10], 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity [6], antimycobacterial activity [11], and the inhibition of tumor growth and cancer-catalyzed bone destruction [12]. Fargesin exhibits additional biological activities, including β1-adrenergic receptor antagonistic and cardioprotective effects [13], stimulation of basal glucose uptake and glucose transporter-4 translocation in muscle cells [14], treatment of dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia in high-fat diet-induced obese mice via activation of Akt and 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in white adipose tissue [15], and antihypertensive effects in 2K1C hypertensive rats [16].…”