Effect of seven tricyclic diterpenoids from needles of Taxus media var. Hicksii on stimulus-induced superoxide generation, tyrosyl or serine/threonine phosphorylation and translocation of cytosolic compounds to the cell membrane in human neutrophils.

Taxol has been widely used as an anticancer drug for ovarian, breast, lung and prostate cancer. Some kinds of TAXUS plants are widely distributed in the Northeast Asia region. We have isolated seven tricyclic diterpenoids, taxinine, taxagifine, 5- O-cinnamoyltaxacin I triacetate, 5-decinnamoyltaxinine J, 5-cinnamoyl-9-acetyltaxicin I, taxacin and taxol from the needles of TAXUS MEDIA var. HICKSII, and investigated their effects on stimulus-induced superoxide generation and translocation of cytosolic compounds to the cell membrane in human neutrophils. Six tricyclic diterpenoids used in this experiment suppressed the superoxide generation induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) and arachidonic acid (AA) in a concentration-dependent manner. Taxinine significantly suppressed the superoxide generation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The compounds also suppressed fMLP- and AA-induced tyrosyl or PMA-induced serine/threonine phosphorylation, and translocation of cytosolic compounds, p47 phox , p67 phox and Rac to the cell membrane in parallel with the suppression of the stimulus-induced superoxide generation.