Simultaneous determination and anti-inflammatory effects of four phenolic compounds in Dendrobii Herba

Abstract

<p>Dendrobii Herba, a traditional Korean medicine, is used for treating atrophic gastritis, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Phytochemical studies of <i>Dendrobium</i> species and their compounds have been conducted. However, the pharmaceutical effects of these compounds have not yet been elucidated. We performed quantitative determination of four phenolic compounds, – (1) 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (2) vanillic acid (3) syringic acid and (4) ferulic acid – in Dendrobii Herba using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. In addition, we investigated the effects of compounds in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by measuring of inflammatory mediators. Among the four compounds, 1–3 had a significant inhibitory effect on TNF-α production. The levels of IL-6 were significantly reduced by treatment with compounds 13 and 4 compared with LPS treated cell. All compounds significantly reduced LPS-stimulated PGE₂ production. Thus, these four marker compounds from Dendrobii Herba exhibit anti-inflammatory activity by targeting different inflammation-related cytokines.</p