Inhibitory effect of rhetsinine isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa on aldose reductase activity

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) 2009-03, Vol.16 (2), p.258-261
• Main Authors: Kato, A., Yasuko, H., Goto, H., Hollinshead, J., Nash, R.J., Adachi, I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aldehyde Reductase - antagonists & inhibitors; Aldose reductase; Carbolines - isolation & purification; Carbolines - pharmacology; Care and treatment; Diabetes Complications - drug therapy; Diabetic angiopathies; Diabetic complications; Enzyme inhibitors; Enzyme Inhibitors - isolation & purification; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Erythrocytes - drug effects; Evodia - chemistry; Evodia rutaecarpa; Female; Fruit; Health aspects; Humans; Materia medica, Vegetable; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Rhetsinine; Sorbitol - metabolism
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2007.04.008

Aldose reductase inhibitors have considerable potential for the treatment of diabetic complications, without increased risk of hypoglycemia. Search for components inhibiting aldose reductase led to the discovery of active compounds contained in Evodia rutaecarpa Bentham (Rutaceae), which is the one of the component of Kampo-herbal medicine. The hot water extract from the E. rutaecarpa was subjected to distribution or gel filtration chromatography to give an active compound, N2-(2-methylaminobenzoyl)tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-one (rhetsinine). It inhibited aldose reductase with IC 50 values of 24.1 μM. Furthermore, rhetsinine inhibited sorbitol accumulation by 79.3% at 100 μM. These results suggested that the E. rutaecarpa derived component, rhetsinine, would be potentially useful in the treatment of diabetic complications.