Search Results (5)

Sappan wood (Caesalpinia sappan) is a tropical hardwood tree found in Southeast Asia. Sappan wood contains a water-soluble compound, which imparts a red color named brazilin. Sappan wood is utilized to produce dye for fabric and coloring agents for food and beverages, such as wine and meat. As a valuable medicinal plant, the tree is also known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. It has been observed that sappan wood contains various bioactive compounds, including brazilin, brazilein, sappan chalcone, and protosappanin A. It has also been discovered that these substances have various health advantages; they lower inflammation, enhance blood circulation, and are anti-oxidative in nature. Sappan wood has been used as a medicine to address a range of illnesses, such as gastrointestinal problems, respiratory infections, and skin conditions. Studies have also suggested that sappan wood may have anticarcinogenic potential as it possesses cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. Based on this, the present review emphasized the different medicinal properties, the role of phytochemicals, their health benefits, and several food and nonfood applications of sappan wood. Overall, sappan wood has demonstrated promising medicinal properties and is an important resource in traditional medicine. The present review has explored the potential role of sappan wood as an essential source of bioactive compounds for drug development. Full article

The fugitive nature of the colorants obtained from sappanwood (Caesalpinia sappan L.) or the South American species commonly known as ‘brazilwoods’ (including other Caesalpinia species and Paubrasilia echinata (Lam.)) makes the identification of brazilwood dyes and pigments in historic artefacts analytically challenging. This difficulty has been somewhat alleviated recently by the recognition and structural elucidation of a relatively stable marker component found in certain brazilwood dyes and pigments—the benzochromenone metabolite urolithin C. This new understanding creates an ideal opportunity to explore the possibilities for urolithin C’s localization and identification in historical artefacts using a variety of analytical approaches. Specifically, in this work, micro-destructive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic methods following a one-sample two-step (direct application of the colloid and then subsequent exposure of the same sample to HF before reapplication of the colloid) approach are utilized for the examination of four historical brazilwood dyed textiles with the results confirmed via HPLC-DAD analysis. It is shown that characterization of reference urolithin C is possible, and diagnostic features of this molecule can also be traced in faded historical linen, silk and wool textiles, even in the presence of minor quantities of flavonoid, indigoid and tannin components. The exploitation of the same micro-sample through a series of SERS analyses affords a fuller potential for confirming the characterization of this species. Full article

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a major epidemic in pig production, leading to economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. The use of medicinal plants with antiviral properties might be useful help to prevent and control PRRSV outbreaks. Caesalpinia sappan (CS) heartwood is an important herbal ingredient used in Thai folk medicine, possessing various biological activities, including antiviral activity. The present study focuses on the in vitro antiviral activity against PRRSV of a semi-purified fraction of ethanolic CS crude extract using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Qualification of the fractions illustrating positive antiviral activity was carried out with liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The preparative chromatography separated the crude extract into six consecutive fractions, among which the first fraction showed potential antiviral activity by inhibiting PRRSV replication in a MARC-145 monolayer (virus titer 2.75 median tissue culture infective dose (TCID₅₀)/mL (log₁₀) vs. 9.50 median log10 TCID₅₀/mL of the control) at 72 h post-infection, and this fraction included byakangelicin, brazilin, naringenin, and brazilein. These results provide useful information for further study to effectively develop the CS bioactive antiviral compounds against PRRSV as a feed additive or veterinary drug in the pig industry. Full article

The medicinal herbal plant has been commonly used for prevention and intervention of disease and health promotions worldwide. Brazilein is a bioactive compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan Linn. Several studies have showed that brazilein exhibited the immune suppressive effect and anti-oxidative function. However, the molecular targets of brazilein for inflammation prevention have remained elusive. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of brazilein on LPS-induced inflammatory response in Raw264.7 macrophage cells. We demonstrated that brazilein decreased the expression of IRAK4 protein led to the suppression of MAPK signaling and IKKβ, and subsequent inactivation of NF-κB and COX2 thus promoting the expression of the downstream target pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, MCP-1, MIP-2, and IL-6 in LPS-induced Raw264.7 macrophage cells. Moreover, we observed that brazilein reduced the production of nitrite compared to the control in LPS-induced Raw264.7. Thus, we suggest that brazilein might be a useful bioactive compound for the prevention of IRAK-NF-κB pathway associated chronic diseases. Full article

3'-Deoxy-4-O-methylepisappanol, a new 3-benzylchroman derivative, was isolated from Sappan Lignum, together with thirteen known chemical compounds identified as protosappanin A, sappanchalcone, sappanone B, palmitic acid, (+)-(8S,8'S)-bisdihydrosiringenin, brazilein, 3-deoxysappanchalcone, (+)-lyoniresinol, 3-deoxysappanone B, protosappanin B, isoprotosappanin B, 3'-O-methylbrazilin and brazilin, respectively. Among these known compounds, this is the first time that (+)-(8S,8'S)-bisdihydrosiringenin was obtained from the family Caesalpiniaceae. Full article