Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Gomisin N, Gomisin J, and Schisandrin C Isolated from the Fruit of Schisandra chinensis

Schisandra chinensis is a well-known Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of hepatic disease. In this study, we investigated whether the nine major compounds of Schisandra chinensis could be applied to suppress lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages (Raw 264.7 cells). Among the nine lignans, three, gomisin J,gomisin N, and schisandrin C, were found to reduce nitric oxide (NO) production from LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. These three lignans showed low cytotoxic effectsin Raw 264.7 cells. Pre-treatment of Raw 264.7 cells with gomisin J, gomisin N,or schisandrin C reduced the expression of mRNA and the secretion of pro-inflam-matory cytokines. These inhibitory effects were found to be caused by blockage of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal–regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK 1/2), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation.

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