Cytokine production in human and rat macrophages and dicatechol rooperol and esters

‘African potato’ (Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm): a plant‐medicine for modern and 21st century diseases of mankind? – a review

“…1). Subsequent study by Guzek et al (1996), in an investigation which attempted to highlight the potential therapeutic benefit of 'African potato' extracts in the treatment of airways inflammatory diseases, showed that rooperol and its derivatives inhibit the production of TNF-α, interleukin1-β and interleukin-6, and also suppress the production of nitric oxide in vitro. However, direct inhibitions of COX-1 (constitutive) and COX-2 (inducible) isoforms of the COX enzymes by extracts of H. hemerocallidea corm, have also recently been reported (Gaidamashivili and Van Staden, 2006;Steenkamp et al, 2006).…”

Rooperol as an antioxidant and its role in the innate immune system: An in vitro study

“…These are cleaved by b-glucosidase to form the aglycone, rooperol (Drewes et al, 1984;Theron et al, 1994). Rooperol has several in vitro biological effects, which include anticancer (Albrecht et al, 1995a;Boukes and van de Venter, 2010), anti-inflammatory ( Van der Merwe et al, 1993;Guzdek et al, 1996Guzdek et al, , 1997Laporta et al, 2007a), antioxidant (Nair et al, 2007;Laporta et al, 2007b) and antibacterial (Laporta et al, 2007a) properties.…”

Rooperol tetraacetate decreases cytokine mRNA levels and binding capacity of transcription factors in U937 cells

“…We have recently described inhibition of the TNFa , IL-1b and IL-6 (at the protein level) in human and rat alveolar macrophages, human blood monocytes and human promonocytic cell line U937 by a plant dicatechol, rooperol, and its acetate esters. 12 Rooperol derived from the plant Hy poxis ro o peri is a potent inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, but in concentrations up to 10 m M has no activity against either isoform of cyclooxygenase. 13 This suggests that the drug might be therapeutically useful in disorders when it is desirable to inhibit the production of leukotrienes but not prostaglandins, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease.…”

“…Evidence is accumulating that pro-inflammatory cytokines also contribute to the pathogenesis of these as well as other inflammatory disorders, so that it would be desirable to inhibit their production as well. Although rooperol exhibit antioxidative properties, 13 and suppresses NO production by rat macrophages 12 and murine endothelial cells, 14 (overproduction of NO by inducible NO synthase may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma 9 ), the mechanism of its anticytokine activity requires elucidation. The study now reported is an analysis of the mechanism by which rooperol may suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.…”

“…the concentration of 1 mg/ml. Rooperol ((E)-1,5-bis (39 ,49 -dihydroxyphenyl) pent-4-en-1-yne) tetraacetate (RTA) was dissolved in DMSO as described previously 12 to obtain a stock solution (100 mM), and was further diluted in 10% bovine serum albumin in PBS.…”