Coompo Research Chemicals

Antioxidant experiments of tectoridin, tectorigenin and modified tectorigenin in vitro including reducing power, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and anti-lipid peroxidation were carried on comparing with ascorbic acid (Vc) or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The results suggested that the antioxidant activity in all the experimental systems exhibited the same order as follows: tectorigenin sodium sulfonate > tectorigenin > tectoridin. Due to the high water-solubility and good antioxidant properties with tectorigenin sodium sulfonate, appropriate chemical modifications could greatly improve the biological activities of the naturally occurring products.

Tectorigenin treatment also significantly inhibited the increases in the amount of collagen in the livers of the fibrogenic rats. Chemically induced liver fibrosis caused a drop in the serum albumin concentration and a decrease in the ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G). Tectorigenin caused a remarkable increase at a dose of 30 mg/kg, but only a slight increase at the lower doses. Tectorigenin was also able to inhibit the increase in the liver lipid peroxidation (LPO), as well as the decrease in the activities of liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), caused by liver fibrosis. Tectorigenin does not cause acute toxicity.
One of the mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory activities of the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis is the inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production by tectorigenin and tectoridin due to the inhibition of the induction of COX-2 in the inflammatory cells.

Tectorigenin induced differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells to granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages, and caused apoptotic changes of DNA in the cells, as did genistein. Tectorigenin also inhibited autophosphorylation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor by EGF and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 protein, with less activity than genistein. From these results, tectorigenin may be a possible therapeutic agent for leukemia.