Gomisin N

Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2011 Dec;33(4):709-13.

Gomisin N has anti-allergic effect and inhibits inflammatory cytokine expression in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells.[Pubmed: 21401384 ]

Gomisin N is a bioactive compound and a prominent anti-allergic agent found in the fruits of tree Schizandra chinensis. However, its effects on the bone marrow-derived mast cell (BMMC)-mediated allergy and inflammation mechanism remain unknown.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In this study, the biological effects of gomisin were evaluated while focusing on its effects on the allergic mediator in PMA + A23187-stimulated BMMCs. The anti-allergic effect of gomisin has shown that inhibited PMA + A23187-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) production. An investigation was also conducted to determine its effects on the production of several allergic mediators including prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)), β-hexosaminidase (β-Hex), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein. The results revealed that gomisin inhibited the PMA + A23187-induced production of IL-6, PGD(2), LTC(4), β-Hex, and COX-2 protein.
CONCLUSIONS:
Taken together, these findings indicate that Gomisin N has the potential for use in the treatment of allergy.

Mol Med Rep. 2009 Sep-Oct;2(5):725-32.

Gomisin N isolated from Schisandra chinensis significantly induces anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in hepatic carcinoma.[Pubmed: 21475892]

Lignans isolated from Schisandria chinensis have been prescribed as anti-cancer and anti-hepatitis treatments in Chinese medicine. To investigate the applications of lignans isolated from Schisandria chinensis in hepatic carcinoma therapy, their apoptotic ability was screened using a cell proliferation assay.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Compared to the other lignans, Gomisin N induced high apoptotic levels in hepatic carcinoma. Cell morphology and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that this lignan induced cell death at high concentrations, but did not induce any changes at low concentrations. In addition, the expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, which are involved in the apoptotic pathway, were markedly increased in only the 320 μM-treated group compared to the vehicle and other concentration groups, while the expression level of p53 protein remained unchanged in this group.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that Gomisin N is an anti-cancer drug candidate capable of inhibiting the proliferation and inducing the apoptosis of human hepatic carcinomas.

Fitoterapia. 2014 Jul;96:123-30.

Gomisin N isolated from Schisandra chinensis augments pentobarbital-induced sleep behaviors through the modification of the serotonergic and GABAergic system.[Pubmed: 24785966 ]

The fruits of Schisandra chinensis have been used for the treatment of insomnia in oriental countries for more than thousands of years. However, the pharmacological properties and the mechanism of sedative and hypnotic effects have not yet been studied. Gomisin N is one of the major bioactive constituents from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis, and in this paper we reported a detailed study on the effects and mechanisms of Gomisin N on its sedative and hypnotic activity for the first time.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
These results implied that Gomisin N possessed weak sedative effects on locomotion activity in normal mice, and produced a dose-dependent(5-45 mg/kg, i.p.) increase in sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice, thus, itself did not induce sleep at higher dose which was used in this experiment (45 mg/kg, i.p.). It also can reverse the rodent models of insomnia induced by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) and caffeine, which could exhibit a synergistic effect with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) as well; furthermore, the hypnotic effects of Gomisin N were inhibited by flumazenil (a specific GABAA-BZD receptor antagonist).
CONCLUSIONS:
Altogether, these results indicated that Gomisin N produced beneficial sedative and hypnotic bioactivity, which might be mediated by the modification of the serotonergic and GABAergic system.

Int J Oncol. 2012 Apr;40(4):1058-65.

Gomisin N enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis via reactive oxygen species-mediated up-regulation of death receptors 4 and 5.[Pubmed: 22179661 ]

Pharmacological studies have revealed that lignans isolated from Schisandra chinensis, including Gomisin N, show anticancer, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is an important member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily with great potential in cancer therapy.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
The present study investigated whether pretreatment with Gomisin N significantly enhanced TRAIL-induced cleavage of caspase-3, caspase-8 and PARP-1, which are key markers of apoptosis. Pretreatment with z-VAD-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor, was able to inhibit apoptosis enhanced by the combination of Gomisin N and TRAIL. These results suggested that Gomisin N could promote TRAIL-induced apoptosis through the caspase cascade. In search of the molecular mechanisms, we elucidated that such enhancement was achieved through transcriptional up-regulation of TRAIL receptors, death receptor 4 (DR4) and DR5. Neutralization of DR4 and DR5 could significantly reduce apoptosis induced by Gomisin N and TRAIL. We also revealed that Gomisin N increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, could inhibit ROS production and up-regulation of DR4 and DR5.
CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, our results indicated that Gomisin N was able to potentiate TRAIL-induced apoptosis through ROS-mediated up-regulation of DR4 and DR5.

Mol Cell Biochem. 2011 Apr;350(1-2):169-75.

Gomisin N enhances TNF-α-induced apoptosis via inhibition of the NF-κB and EGFR survival pathways.[Pubmed: 21188622]

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. TNF-α-induced apoptosis is limited by TAK1-mediated activation of NF-κB (mainly p65-p50 hetrodimer) signaling pathway. We have recently reported that TAK1 regulates phosphorylation of EGFR at Ser-1046/7 through p38 MAPK, which cooperates with NF-κB in TNF-α-induced apoptosis.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
The present study investigated the effect of gomisins A and N, dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans isolated from the fruit of Schisandra chinensis, on TNF-α-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. Gomisins A and N strongly promoted TNF-α-induced cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP-1, which are key markers of apoptosis. We found that Gomisin N, but not gomisin A, inhibited the TNF-α-induced activation of NF-κB by suppressing the activation of IKKα. Gomisin N also inhibited p38-mediated phosphorylation of the EGFR at Ser-1046/7 and subsequent endocytosis of EGFR, another prosurvival pathway.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings suggested that Gomisin N enhanced TNF-α-induced apoptosis by suppressing of NF-κB and EGFR signaling pathways.

Nitric Oxide. 2013 Jan 15;28:47-56.

Gomisin N in the herbal drug gomishi (Schisandra chinensis) suppresses inducible nitric oxide synthase gene via C/EBPβ and NF-κB in rat hepatocytes.[Pubmed: 23085209]

Gomishi is the dried fruit of Schisandra chinensis Baillon (Fructus Schisandrae chinensis, FSC) and has been used in Japanese Kampo medicine to treat inflammatory and liver diseases. However, it is unclear which constituent of FSC is primarily responsible for its pharmacological effects. FSC was extracted with methanol, fractionated by hydrophobicity, and further purified.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
We measured the effects of each fraction or constituent thereof on the induction of the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide (NO), which was induced by interleukin 1β in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. The hydrophobic fraction markedly suppressed NO induction and reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide syntheses (iNOS) in interleukin 1β-treated hepatocytes. Gomisin N and γ-schizandrin, two major constituents of the hydrophobic fraction, significantly reduced NO production and the levels of the iNOS protein, mRNA, and antisense transcript. Gomisin N and γ-schizandrin also decreased the transcription of interleukin 1β and inflammatory chemokines. The overexpression of the p65 subunit of nuclear factor κB or CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β increased the promoter activity of the iNOS gene in the firefly luciferase assay, whereas Gomisin N decreased the promoter activity.
CONCLUSIONS:
The anti-inflammatory activity of FSC and its constituents were analysed, and we demonstrated that Gomisin N and γ-schizandrin are involved in the hepatoprotective effect of the FSC extract, which has therapeutic potential for liver disease.