• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.92-96
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• 2017

A sesquiterpene was purified from Artemisia iwayomogi methanolic extract during the course of searching anti-inflammatory principle from medicinal plants. A sesquiterpene identified as armefolin inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and attenuated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein level in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Armefolin also down-regulated mRNA expressions of iNOS and pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and interleukin-6 in LPS-activated macrophages. Moreover, armefolin suppressed the degradation of inhibitory-${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ (I-${\kappa}B{\alpha}$) in LPS-activated macrophages. These data suggest that armefolin from A. iwayomogi can suppress the LPS-induced production of NO and the expression of iNOS gene through inhibiting the degradation of I-${\kappa}B{\alpha}$. Taken together, armefolin from A. iwayomogi might be a candidate as promising anti-inflammatory agent.