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Medicinal plants, such as St. John’s Wort, have received attention as supplements to treat various conditions or to promote general health and well-being.  These plants also represent a valuable resource for the identification of compounds that may have utility as new therapeutic agents.  Hypericum gentianoides, or orangegrass, is a plant native to the eastern half of the United States that was used by Native Americans to treat a variety of disorders, such as fever or wounds.  While investigating the properties of organgegrass, ISU researchers have identified a series of closely related compounds in its extracts that exhibit anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of prostaglandin E synthesis.  These compounds are abundant in orangegrass relative to other secondary metabolites, demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity at low doses, and exhibit low cytotoxicity.  Thus, these natural compounds may have utility as nutraceuticals or as the basis for the design of novel therapeutic agents.

• Effective (doses as low as 1 ug/ml show anti-inflammatory activity)
  
• Abundant (the bioactive compounds account for approximately 20% of the dry plant tissue or 2% of the fresh tissue)
  
• Nontoxic (cytotoxicity is not observed at doses with anti-inflammatory activity)
  
• Versatile (may be used without modification for nutraceutical applications or as the starting point for new drug development)
  

Molecular structure has been identified, and anti-inflammatory activity with limited cytotoxicity has been demonstrated at concentrations as low as 2 micromolar using purified compounds in a bioassay with lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mammalian cells.  ISU is seeking partners interested in commercializing this technology.

Publication: “Characterizing the Metabolic Fingerprint and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Hypericum gentianoides”, Matthew L. Hillwig, Kimberly D.P. Hammer, Diane F. Birt, Eve Syrkin Wurtele, 2008, J. Agric. Food Chem., 56 (12) 4359-4366