Anthraquinones emodin

Endophytic Penicilliumjanthinellum from the fruits oiMelia d2Mdarach in Brazil yielded known anthraquinones, emodin, citreorosein, and a related compound, citrinin, as well as a novel anthraquinone, janthinone... 

Inderjit and Nishimura, O., 1999. Effect of the anthraquinones emodin and physcion on availability of selected soil inorganic ions. Ann. Appl. Biol. 135,... 

Rumex species are widely used locally for the control of intestinal helminthic conditions. There are five Rumex species in Kenya - Rumex abyssinicus, R. usambarense, R. bequaertii, R. ruwenzoriensis and R. crispus, according to their grouping in the Key to Species . The compounds that have significant distribution are the common anthraquinones emodin, physcion and chrysophanol, along with the polyketide naphthalenic compound, nepodin, whose distribution is in accordance with the Key. The compounds have been reported to have a purgative effect no doubt this is the mechanism by which they exert their traditionally attractive anthelmintic activity. The traditional applications of some of the species are shown in Table 2. 

MuellerSO, Stopper H, DekantW. Biotransfbrmationofthe anthraquinones emodin and chrysophanol by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Drug Metab Disp 1998 26 540-6. 

The antioxidant properties of naturally occurring anthraquinones and anthrones were evaluated using different model systems. For example, the antioxidant activity of these compounds was studied on the inhibition of peroxidation of linoleic acid. These results suggest that the antioxidant mechanism for two anthraquinones, emodin, Fig. (4) and aloe-emodin, Fig. (2), possibly depends on scavenging hydroxy radicals, while the pro-oxidant... 

Several investigations have also demonstrated the hepatoprotective activity of some naturally-occurring anthraquinones. For example, aloe-emodin, Fig. (2) one of the active constituents contained in medicinal plants such as Aloe spp., appears to have some protective effect on acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride [294], Other studies reported the hepatoprotective effect of the anthraquinone emodin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. The emodin-treated rats showed improved liver functions and reduced degrees of fibrosis [295],... 

To further understand the properties of benzimidazole antidotes, the following experiments were carried out using the anthraquinone emodin (18) as a representative antidote found in the Polygonaceae. 

Apart from the flavone cochliophilin A methyl ether (10), it has been found that other, non-flavonoid, natural products (e.g. the anthraquinone, emodin) also exhibit potent antidote activity. Whilst the significance of these plant-produced chemicals, in reducing the efficiency of several widely used benomyl-type fungicides, has still to be evaluated, the fact that flavones occur widely in the Plant Kingdom may suggest that crop plants should be routinely screened for potential flavone (and non-flavone)... 

The action of three anthraquinones (emodin, physcion and emodin-O-(3-D-glucoside), isolated from the root of Polygonum cuspidatum, on protein tyrosine kinase was investigated by Jayasuriya et al. [11] (see Table 5). 

Recurrent hepatitis was reported in a 5-year-old girl who had taken 3 tablets daily of shou wu pian, a product made from fo-ti tuber, for 4 months. Elevated serum levels of bilirubin and liver enzymes were observed, and viral markers were used to rule out a number of diseases. Symptoms disappeared and liver function tests were normal 1 month after cessation of the product. The girl experienced hepatitis again after being administered 2 tablets daily of the same product for 1 month (Panis et al. 2005). The product identity was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and showed 2,3,5,4 -tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-P-D-glucopyranoside, a stilbene glycoside, to be the main constituent. The anthraquinone emodin was present in trace amounts (Panis et al. 2005). Such a chemical composition indicates that raw or incompletely processed fo-ti was used. 

Hepatitis was diagnosed in a 31-year-old pregnant woman who had been taking shou wu pian (dose unspecified), a proprietary product made from fo-ti tuber, for several weeks prior to the hepatitis. Elevated plasma levels of liver enzymes were observed, and viral hepatitis was ruled out. Liver enzyme levels returned to normal 3 weeks after cessation of the product. The identity of the product was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography, and two anthraquinones, emodin and physcion, were identified. The patient described a case of hepatitis that she had 2 years prior after taking a liquid extract prepared from fo-ti (But et al. 1996). 

Acute hepatitis mimicking iron overload syndrome was reported in a 35-year-old man who had been taking fo-ti (dose and duration unspecified). Laboratory studies included alanine transferase 2714 U/1 (normal <50 U/1), aspartate aminotransferase 1170 U/1 (normal <50 U/1), AP 137 U/1 (normal <130 U/1), total bilirubin 4.6 mg/dl (normal <1.4 mg/dl), direct bilirubin 3.0 mg/dl (normal <0.4 mg/dl), and ferritin 13,862 ng/ml (normal 8 to 282 ng/ml) and a fasting transferrin saturation of 86% (normal 20% to 60%). Analysis of the herbal supplement identified extracts from fo-ti including the anthraquinones emodin and physcion. The patient recovered after cessation of the herbal products, and liver function tests 4 months after hospitalization were normal (Laird et al. 2008). 

Nephroma laevigatum from British Columbia contained the following anthraquinones emodin, 7-chloroemodin, 7-chloro-l-O-methylemodin, 7-chloro-1 -0-methylcitreorosein, 5-chloroemodin, 5-chloro-l-O-methyl-emodin, 5-chloro-l-O-methylcitreorosein and 5-chlorocitreorosein. Feeding experiments with Na[2-14C]-acetate and Na[l-13C]-acetate showed that these anthraquinones are biosynthesized via the polyketide pathway (75). 

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