KCS

Norlignans are abundant in the heartwood of many coniferous trees and in some monocotyledonous plants, and possess a wide spectrum of biological activities such as anti-cancer/anti-inflammatory, anti-complement, anti-fungal activity, testosterone 5α?reductase inhibition, and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibition. Naturally occurring norlignan are a class of natural phenolic compounds with diphenylpentane carbon skeletons (C6?C5?C6). Hinokiresinol, the E-isomer of nyasol, is a typical example of such a norlignan. Hinokiresinol was first isolated from the heartwood of Chamaecyparis obtuse in 1965, and was found to display appreciable estrogen receptor binding activity and some antiplasmodial activity. We recently found that nyasol and its derivatives, isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides, act as powerful inhibitors of antigen-induced degranulation, and have the potential to be useful therapies for allergic disorders such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. In view of these interesting biological activities of norlignans, we report here the inhibitory activity of hinokiresionol derivatives including synthetic intermediates on antigen-induced degranulation.