• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.366-369
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• 2004

Myristica fragrans Houtt were extracted in 80% aq. MeOH and solvent fractionated sing $CHCl_3$, EtOAc, n-BuOH and water, successively. The n-BuOH fraction gave three phenylpropanoids through application of silica gel column chromatographies. The chemical structures of the phenylpropanoids were determined by the interpretation of several spectral data, including NMR and MS as meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (1), nectandrin B (2) and syringin methyl ether (3). Compound 1, which was first isolated from this plant by authors, showed inhibitory activities with $60.0{\pm}2.1%\;(100\;{\mu}g/ml),\;42.6{\pm}0.9%\;(140\;{\mu}g/ml)\;and\;12.2{\pm}0.2%\;(200\;{\mu}g/ml)$ on ACAT(acyl-CoA:Cholesterol Acyltransferase), chitin synthase III and HMG-CoA reductase (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase), respectively. Compound 3 showed inhibitory activities with $27.2{\pm}0.9%\;(100\;{\mu}g/ml),\;45.5{\pm}0.8%\;(200\;{\mu}g/ml)$ on ACAT and chitin synthase III.

• CELLMED
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.6.1-6.7
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• 2018

Myristica fragrans Houtt is commonly known as "nutmeg", it produces two spices: mace and nutmeg. Mace and nutmeg are strongly aromatic in nature and known as jowzabuwa and javetri/bisbasah respectively in the Unani system of medicine. M. fragrans was used as early as 700 BCE by Indian, however, ancient Greeks and Romans were not aware of it. Later Arab traders introduce M. fragrans into Europe followed by Portuguese and Dutch merchants. Mace is very useful medicine in the Unani system of medicine because of its therapeutic uses in salasal al-bawl (urinary incontinence), amrad-i-qalb (cardiac diseases), amrad-i-dimagh (central nervous system), zo'fe bah (sexual debility), amrad al-rahim (uterine diseases), and su-i-hazim (indigestion). The most important constituents of mace essential oil are ${\alpha}-pinene$, sabinene, myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, terpinen-4-ol, myristicin, ${\gamma}-terpinene$, and safrole. The seed and mace extract of nutmeg contain quite high tannins, flavonoids, and terpenoids. Mace has pharmacological functions such as antibacterial and antifungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antidiarrhea, antioxidant, chemoprotective, neuropharmacologic, and antidiabetic properties. To explore the correlation between the traditional uses and the same proven by recent researches, a comprehensive review is highlighted in this paper. Further, pharmacological activities which are not reported in classical texts are also discussed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2015

Five phenylpropanoids (1-5), a benzofuran neolignan (6), two 8-O-4'-neolignans (7-8), and five tetrahydrofuran lignans (9-13) were isolated from a methanol extract of Myristica fragrans seeds. The structures of 1-13 were determined by $^1H$- and $^{13}C$-NMR spectroscopic data analyses and a comparison with the literature data. Compound 3 was isolated for the first time from this plant. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against tyrosinase. Among them, safrole (1) showed significant inhibitions against both the monophenolase ($IC_{50}=32.11{\mu}M$) and diphenolase ($IC_{50}=27.32{\mu}M$) activities of tyrosinase. The kinetic analysis shows that safrole (1) is competitive inhibitors for both monophenolase and diphenolase. The apparent inhibition constant ($K_i$) for safrole (1) binding with free enzyme was determined to be 16.05 and $13.66{\mu}M$ for monophenolase and diphenolase, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.415-423
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• 2004

Myristica fragrans seed from Myristica fragrans Houtt (Myristicaceae) has various pharmacological activities peripherally and centrally. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the methanol extract of Myristica fragrans seed (MF) on kainic acid (KA)-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured rat cerebellar granule neuron. MF, over a concentration range of 0.05 to $5\;{\mu}g/ml$ inhibited KA $(500\;{\mu}M)-induced$ neuronal cell death, which was measured by trypan blue exclusion test and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. MF $(0.5\;{mu}g/ml)$ inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by KA $(500\;{\mu}M)$, which was measured by HPLC. Pretreatment of MF $(0.5\;{mu}g/ml)$ inhibited KA $(500\;{\mu}M)-induced$ elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration $([Ca^{2+}]_c)$, which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fura 2-AM, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that MF prevents KA-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1146-1150
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• 2008

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ($PPAR_{\gamma}$), a member of the nuclear receptor of ligand-activated transcription factors, plays a key role in lipid and glucose metabolism or adipocytes differentiation. A lignan compound was isolated from mace (the aril of Myristica fragrans Houtt.) as a $PPAR_{\gamma}$ ligand, which was identified as fragrin A or 2-(4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propane. To ascertain whether fragrin A has $PPAR_{\gamma}$ ligand-binding activity, it was performed that GAL-4/$PPAR_{\gamma}$ transactivation assay. $PPAR_{\gamma}$ ligand-binding activity of fragrin A increased 4.7, 6.6, and 7.3-fold at 3, 5, and $10{\mu}M$, respectively, when compared with a vehicle control. Fragrin A also enhanced adipocytes differentiation and increased the expression of $PPAR_{\gamma}$ target genes such as adipocytes fatty acid-binding protein (aP2), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). Furthermore, it significantly increased the expression level of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). These results indicate that fragrin A can be developed as a $PPAR_{\gamma}$ agonist for the improvement of insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.289-295
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• 2004

Myristica fragrans seed from Myristica fragrans Houtt (Myristicaceae) has various pharmacological activities peripherally and centrally. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the methanol extract of Myristica fragrans seed (MF) on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured rat cerebellar granule neuron. MF, over a concentration range of 0.05 to $5\;{\mu}g/ml$, inhibited NMDA (1 mM)- induced neuronal cell death, which was measured by trypan blue exclusion test and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. MF $(0.5\;{\mu}g/ml)$ inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by NMDA (1 mM), which was measured by HPLC. Pretreatrnent of MF $(0.5\;{\mu}g/ml)$ inhibited NMDA (1 mM)-induced elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration $([Ca^{2+}]_c)$, which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fura 2-AM, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that MF prevents NMDA-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1301-1304
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• 2009

Macelignan is a bioactive compound isolated from nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) which has been traditionally used for the food and pharmaceutical purposes. In this study, the activities of macelignan against vegetative cells and spores of Bacillus cereus were evaluated in vitro. Our results showed that the vegetative cells of B. cereus were significantly inhibited in growth by macelignan with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of $4{\mu}g/mL$. The vegetative cells of B. cereus were completely killed with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of $8{\mu}g/mL$ of macelignan. Killing time of macelignan against vegetative cells of B. cereus was very fast; endpoint of macelignan was reached after 4 hr of incubation at $4{\times}MIC$. Macelignan inactivated more than 3-log (99.9%) of spores/mL of B. cereus at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$. Macelignan was found to be effective against vegetative cells and spores of B. cereus. These results suggest that macelignan might be good to be developed as a food preservative.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.808-816
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• 1997

Fifty six kinds of medicinal herbs were extracted by 75% ethanol and antimicrobial activity of the extracts were tested against food-born bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 15313, 19111, 19112, 19113, 19114, Bacillus cereus YUFE 2004, Staphylococcus aureus KFCC 11764, Pseudomons fluorescens KCTC 1645, 2344 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides KFCC 12031. Ethanol extracts of Terminalia chebula Rets, Rosa laevaigate Michx, Caesalpinia sappan L and Myristica fragrans Houtt showed inhibitory effects on the growth of most of the strains tested. In particular, the extract of Terminalia chebula Rets showed obvious growth inhibition in proportion to the concentration and Caesalpinia sappan L stopped the growth in the concentration of 100 ppm on several strains. Also, ethylacetate fractionates of Terminalia chebula Rets, Rosa laevaigate Michx, and Caesalpinia sappan L and chloroform fractionate of Myristica fragrans Houtt showed more effective inhibitory action on the growth of most of the strains tested.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 1998

In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of herbs related with treatments of intestinal diseases against intestinal pathogens under anaerobic broth system. The water extract of Saussurea lappa Clarke and Myristica fragrans Houtt. showed no growth inhibition against tested pathogens(Eubacterium limonsum ATCC 10825, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Bacteroides fragilis KCTC 5013, Clostridium perfringens STCC 3627, Staphylococcus aureus KFCC 11764 및 Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028). All tested pathogens were not inhibited in broth containing 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of Areca catachu L. Water extract but its extract strongly inhibited the growth of Eubacterium limonsum STCC 10825, Bacteroides fragilis KCTC 5013, Clostridium perfringens ATCC 3627 and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 at 1,000 to 2,000$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of concentration. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus KFCC 11764 hardly grew in broth containing 2,000$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of Terminalia chebula Retz. water extract.