Chemical Analysis of SU-Eohyeol Pharmacopuncture and Its In Vitro Biological Activities.

Introduction

Pharmacopuncture (PA) is widely used in traditional Korean medicine to treat various diseases, including abdominal obesity, nervous system diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders. In the present study, we attempted to identify the chemical components of SU-Eohyeol PA (SUEHP), comprising extracts of eight medicinal herbs and Cervi Parvum Cornu, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and evaluated the in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of SUEHP.

Methods

Volatile components of SUEHP were identified by GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), and distilled water-acetonitrile (DW-CAN) solvent fractions. LC-MS was performed to identify small metabolites of SUEHP using a water-methanol solvent fraction. In vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of SUEHP was evaluated using cell-free biochemical assays and a BV2 microglial cell culture system.

Results

GC-MS of SUEHP using the n-hexane, DCM, and DW-ACN solvent fractions detected 32 components. The major components (>3%) were 9-octadecenamide (25.9%) and eicosane (5.4%) in n-hexane fraction, 9-octadecenamide (29.1%) and cis-11-octadecenoic acid (3.1%) in DCM fraction, and 9-octadecenamide (31.1%) and 9-octadecenoic acid (17.9%) in DW-CAN fraction. LC-MS of SUEHP using a water-methanol solvent fraction detected 36 primary metabolites, including (a)symmetric dimethylarginine, L-pyroglutamic acid, n,n-dimethylglycine, n-acetyl-L-aspartic acid, and amino acids. Enrichment analysis and subsequent network analysis of the primary metabolites suggested their association with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Cell-free biochemical assays and molecular signaling studies of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV2 murine microglial cells demonstrated the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of SUEHP.

Conclusion

The present study identified the biochemically active components of SUEHP and suggested their therapeutic potential against diseases related to inflammatory and oxidative stress.