Chemical constituents from Uncaria laevigata and their anti-inflammatory activities and action mechanism.

A new alkaloid 1 * (scandine Z) and fourteen known natural products were isolated from 95% ethanol extract of Uncaria laevigata for the first time. Besides compound 1 *, these fourteen compounds were firstly isolated from Uncaria laevigata . Excitedly, compound 4 exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity (IC 50 = 8.12 μmol/L), which wasn't described before. Moreover, compound 1 * also de--monstrated certain anti-inflammatory activity (IC 50 = 10.34 μmol/L). Network pharmacology suggested that compound 4 was involved in the IL-17 signalling pathway and the regulation of inflammation pathway. Molecular docking confirmed that it showed strong binding activity with the target protein (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, PPAR). Overall, compounds 1 * and 4 exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity and served as lead compounds and anti-inflammatory molecules for further study in vivo .