Immunomodulatory effect of bergenin and norbergenin against adjuvant-induced arthritis—A flow cytometric study

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 112; no. 2; pp. 401 - 405
• Main Authors: Nazir, Nighat, Koul, Surrinder, Qurishi, Mushtaq A., Taneja, Sachin C., Ahmad, Sheikh F., Bani, Sarang, Qazi, Ghulam N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 13-06-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; arthritis; Arthritis, Experimental - drug therapy; Benzopyrans - therapeutic use; Bergenia; Bergenia stracheyi; Bergenin; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; chemical constituents of plants; cytokines; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Dealkylation; Flow Cytometry; Flowcytometry; gallic acid; General pharmacology; Immunologic Factors; Immunomodulatory activity; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Norbergenin; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Roots - chemistry; rhizomes; Saxifragaceae; Saxifragaceae - chemistry; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Th1 Cells - drug effects; Th1 Cells - metabolism; Th2 Cells - drug effects; Th2 Cells - metabolism; Bergenin; Flowcytometry; Immunomodulatory activity; Saxifragaceae; Norbergenin; Bergenia stracheyi; Pharmacognosy; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Arthritis; Medicinal plant; Immunomodulator; Tannin; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.02.023

Bergenin (
1), a C-glycoside of 4-
O-methyl gallic acid, isolated from rhizomes of
Bergenia stracheyi (Saxifragaceae) and its
O-demethylated derivative norbergenin (
2), prepared from
1, are reported to show anti-arthritic activity through possible modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokine balance. Flow cytometric study showed that the oral administration of
1 and
2 at doses of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80
mg/kg per oral dose inhibit the production of proinflammatory Th1 cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α) while as potentiate anti-inflammatory Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5) in the peripheral blood of adjuvant-induced arthritic balb/c mice. This shows the potential Th1/Th2 cytokine balancing activity of
1 and
2 which is strongly correlated with their anti-arthritic activity. At similar dose levels, the effect of
2 was found to be more than that of
1. The oral LD
0 for
1 and
2 was more than 2000
mg/kg body weight of the mice.