In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of lignans isolated from Magnolia fargesii

The overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) causes neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Four lignans, (+)-eudesmin (1), (+)-magnolin (2), (+)-yangambin (3) and a new structure named as epimagnolin B (4) were isolated from Magnolia fargesii (Magnoliaceae) as the inhibitors of NO production in LPS-activated microglia. The most potent compound 4 inhibited the production of NO and PGE₂ and the expression of respective enzyme iNOS and COX-2 through the suppression of I-κB-α degradation and nuclear translocation of p65 subunit of NF-κB.