Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Philosophenweg 14, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
Department of Pharmaceutical Analytics, Pharmaceutical Institute, Eberhard Karls University, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
Molecules. 2018 Feb 24;23(2):506. doi: 10.3390/molecules23020506.
Age-related diseases, such as osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are often associated with chronic unresolved inflammation. Neutrophils play central roles in this process by releasing tissue-degenerative proteases, such as cathepsin G, as well as pro-inflammatory leukotrienes produced by the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway. Boswellic acids (BAs) are pentacyclic triterpene acids contained in the gum resin of the anti-inflammatory remedy frankincense that target cathepsin G and 5-LO in neutrophils, and might thus represent suitable leads for intervention with age-associated diseases that have a chronic inflammatory component. Here, we investigated whether, in addition to BAs, other triterpene acids from frankincense interfere with 5-LO and cathepsin G. We provide a comprehensive analysis of 17 natural tetra- or pentacyclic triterpene acids for suppression of 5-LO product synthesis in human neutrophils. These triterpene acids were also investigated for their direct interference with 5-LO and cathepsin G in cell-free assays. Furthermore, our studies were expanded to 10 semi-synthetic BA derivatives. Our data reveal that besides BAs, several tetra- and pentacyclic triterpene acids are effective or even superior inhibitors of 5-LO product formation in human neutrophils, and in parallel, inhibit cathepsin G. Their beneficial target profile may qualify triterpene acids as anti-inflammatory natural products and pharmacological leads for intervention with diseases related to aging.
与年龄相关的疾病，如骨关节炎、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和心血管疾病，通常与慢性未解决的炎症有关。中性粒细胞通过释放组织退化蛋白酶，如组织蛋白酶 G，以及通过 5-脂氧合酶（5-LO）途径产生的促炎白三烯，在这个过程中发挥核心作用。乳香酸（BAs）是一种五环三萜酸，存在于抗炎药物乳香的树胶树脂中，可靶向中性粒细胞中的组织蛋白酶 G 和 5-LO，因此可能是具有慢性炎症成分的与年龄相关疾病的合适干预靶点。在这里，我们研究了除 BAs 之外，乳香中的其他三萜酸是否会干扰 5-LO 和组织蛋白酶 G。我们对 17 种天然的四或五环三萜酸进行了全面分析，以抑制人中性粒细胞中 5-LO 产物的合成。这些三萜酸还在无细胞测定中研究了它们对 5-LO 和组织蛋白酶 G 的直接干扰。此外，我们的研究扩展到了 10 种半合成 BA 衍生物。我们的数据表明，除了 BAs 之外，几种四环和五环三萜酸也是人中性粒细胞中 5-LO 产物形成的有效抑制剂，甚至是优越抑制剂，并且可以同时抑制组织蛋白酶 G。它们有益的靶标特征可能使三萜酸成为抗炎天然产物和干预与衰老相关疾病的药理学先导。
