Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter found in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.1-3) 5-HT mediates its diverse physiological responses via at least 16 different 5-HT receptors that are grouped into seven distinct subfamilies, the 5-HT 1-7 receptors. The human 5-HT receptor subtype 6 (5-HT 6 R) is one of the most recently cloned receptors among the known 5-HT receptors and belongs to the family of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that positively couple to adenylate cyclase. [4][5][6] The 5-HT 6 R is mainly found in the central nervous system (CNS), and its abundant distribution in the limbic region, which participates in the control of mood and emotion, has generated much interest. 7,8) Despite intensive research attempts to identify selective 5-HT 6 ligands, only a very limited number of antagonists has progressed to clinical development. Furthermore, the cellular mechanisms underlying 5-HT 6 R-mediated behavioral changes are not well understood in the CNS. We previously developed a reliable cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) method and screened synthetic chemical compounds to identify ligands of the 5-HT 6 R.9) This HTS method measures 5-HT-induced Ca 2ϩ increases using a promiscuous Ga 15 protein that facilitates coupling of Ga S -coupled receptors to phospholipase C and consequent intracellular Ca 2ϩ release, which is subsequently detected using an FDSS6000 96-well fluorescence plate reader. We furthermore utilized the FDSS6000 system to examine the functions of the 5-HT 6 R and its interacting proteins in several mammalian cell lines. 10,11) In the present study, as part of our continued efforts to identify novel 5-HT 6 ligands, we used the FDSS6000 system to screen natural products. Among a library of natural products examined, we found that the ethyl acetate fraction from the root of Caragana sinica (537-18BE) showed the strongest inhibition on the 5-HT 6 R. The genus Caragana is a member of the family Fabaceae and is widely distributed throughout the Euro-Asian continent. More than 10 species in this genus have a long history of use in traditional medicines, and the medicinal use of Caragana species was first noted when C. sinica has been traditionally used in the treatment of asthenia syndrome, vascular hypertension, leukorrhagia, bruises and contused wounds. Recent in vivo and/or in vitro studies have provided some support for other traditional uses, e.g. anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, phytoestrogenic, immunostimulant and immunosuppressant activities. 12) However, further studies to identify the active components and verify the pharmacological activities are needed. Therefore, we further isolated 537-18BE to find active components for 5-HT 6 R-mediated Ca 2ϩ responses activity and found that three stilbene derivatives, (ϩ)-a-viniferin, miyabenol C and pallidol, produced an antagonistic effect to the 5-HT 6 R in the human 5-HT 6 R stably expressed HeLa and HEK293 cells.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Plant MaterialsThe root of C. sinica was collected at ...