Sains Malaysiana 55(7)(2026): 1161-1172

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5507-05

 

Anti-inflammatory Constituents from Bupleurum chinense DC. Aerial Parts: Identification and Computational Mechanistic Insights

(Juzuk Anti-radang daripada Bupleurum chinense DC. Bahagian Aerial: Pengenalpastian dan Pemerhatian Mekanistik Pengiraan)

YUNAN SUN^1,2, YINGYING SHI^1,2, XUEGUI LIU^1,3,4, PINYI GAO^2,4 & DANQI LI^1,3,4,*

¹Institute of Functional Molecules, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning 110142, PR China

²School of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning 110142, PR China

³Liaoning Province Key Laboratory of Green Functional Molecular Design and Development, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, PR China

⁴National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Development of Boron and Magnesium Resources and Fine Chemical Technology, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, PR China

 

Diserahkan:0 12 Mac 2026/Diterima: 11 Julai 2026

 

Abstract

Bupleurum chinense DC. is a medicinal plant used for inflammatory conditions. While the anti-inflammatory activity of its roots is well established and attributed to saikosaponins, its aerial parts are routinely discarded during processing, leaving their chemical composition and bioactivity largely unexplored. To address this, a systematic phytochemical and anti-inflammatory study were conducted on these abandoned aerial tissues. The 70% ethanol extract of aerial parts was fractionated through silica gel column chromatography, ODS reversed-phase chromatography and preparative HPLC, affording 16 compounds structurally characterized by NMR and HR-ESI-MS. These isolates were categorized into four major groups, including flavonoids (6, 7), organic acids (1-4, 10-14), terpenoids (15, 16), lignans and sterols (5, 8, 9). Subsequent anti-inflammatory assays on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages at concentrations of 6.25-100 µM showed that methyl chlorogenate exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect on NO production, superior to all other isolated constituents. This research expands the chemical constituent library of B. chinense aerial parts and identifies methyl chlorogenate as a promising anti-inflammatory lead compound, providing solid chemical and pharmacological evidence for the sustainable high-value utilization of the aerial waste resources of this medicinal plant.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity; Bupleurum chinenseDC; chemical constituents; computer simulation

Abstrak

Bupleurum chinense DC. ialah tumbuhan ubatan yang digunakan untuk keadaan keradangan. Walaupun aktiviti anti-radang akarnya telah terbukti dan dikaitkan dengan saikosaponin, bahagian atasnya secara rutin dibuang semasa pemprosesan, menyebabkan komposisi kimia dan bioaktivitinya sebahagian besarnya belum diterokai. Untuk menangani perkara ini, satu kajian fitokimia dan anti-radang yang sistematik telah dijalankan ke atas tisu atas yang terbiar ini. Ekstrak etanol 70% daripada bahagian atas telah dipecahkan melalui kromatografi turus gel silika, kromatografi fasa terbalik ODS dan HPLC preparatif, menghasilkan 16 sebatian yang dicirikan secara struktur oleh NMR dan HR-ESI-MS. Pencilan ini dikategorikan kepada empat kumpulan utama, termasuk flavonoid (6, 7), asid organik (1-4, 10-14), terpenoid (15, 16), lignan dan sterol (5, 8, 9). Ujian anti-radang seterusnya pada makrofaj RAW264.7 yang dirangsang oleh LPS pada kepekatan 6.25-100 µM mendedahkan bahawa metil klorogenat menunjukkan kesan perencatan yang paling kuat terhadap penghasilan NO, lebih baik daripada semua juzuk terpencil yang lain. Kajian ini memperluaskan perpustakaan juzuk kimia bahagian udara B. chinense dan mengenal pasti metil klorogenat sebagai sebatian plumbum anti-radang yang berpotensi, memberikan bukti kimia dan farmakologi yang kukuh untuk penggunaan sumber sisa udara tumbuhan ubatan ini yang bernilai tinggi dan mampan.

Kata kunci: Aktiviti anti-radang; Bupleurum chinense DC; juzuk kimia; simulasi komputer

 

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: lidanqi@yeah.net