A Casapase inducing inhibitor isolated from the Caesalpinia sappan

Through the screening of caspase-3 inducing inhibitors in U937 human monocytic leukemia cell from natural sources, Caesalpiniae sappan, which showed a high level of inhibition, was selected. The inhibition compound was purified from methanol extract by silica gel column chromatography and HPLC. The inhibitor was identified as brazilin by spectroscopic methods of ESI-MS, , and . Brazilin showed inhibitory activity of caspase-3 induction, a major protease of apoptosis cascade, with value of after 7 hr of treatment in U937 cells.