Potential anti-inflammatory diterpenoids from the roots of Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk.

Anti-inflammatory assay-guided separation of extracts from the roots of Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk. led to isolation of seven compounds: four diterpenes (1-4), a dimer (9), and two dibenzo[b,d]furans (10, 11) together with eleven known compounds. Their structures were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques as well as UV, IR, mass spectral data and comparison with literature values. The anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activities against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cell lines. Compounds 4, 6, 8, and 12-14 were also tested for the inhibitory effect on LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release in RAW264.7 cells. The results indicated that 4 possessed potent inhibitory activity for both tests with IC(50) values of 3.0 and 6.5 microM, respectively.