Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitory Cerebrosides from Phytolaccae Radix

A mixture of cerebrosides, called poke-weed cerebrosides, was purified from Phytolaccae Radix(Phytolaccaceae)and characterized as 1-O-β-_D-glucopyranosides of phytosphingosine type ceramides comprised of a common long chain base(2S, 3S, 4R, 8Z)-2-amino-8-octadecene-1, 3, 4-triol and fatty acids. The fatty acyl chain of ceramide moieties was determined as(2R)-2-hydroxypentacosanoic acid, (2R)-2-hydroxylignoceric acid, (2R)-2-hydroxylignoceric acid, (2R)-2-hydroxylignoceric acid, (2R)-2-hydroxylignoceric acid, and plamitic acid. The pokeweed cerebroside inhibited the cyclooxygenase-2-dependent phase of prostaglandin D_2 generation in bone marrow-derived mast cells in a concentration dependent manner with an IC_<50> of 6.2μg/ml.