Abstract

Eurycoma harmandiana Pierre (Simaroubaceae) (EH) is a well-known herbal plant with aphrodisiac and antifever properties. This study investigated the effect of a pre-treatment strategy to enhance aglycone metabolites in the adventitious root culture of EH and evaluated its anti-inflammatory activity. The content of pre-treatment samples was determined using HPLC analysis. Nitric oxide (NO) production was evaluated using LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The anti-inflammatory activity of the pre-treatment (Tx) and non-treatment (non-Tx) samples was compared using quantitative polymerase chain reaction of inflammatory genes, including inducible NO synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Deglycosylation of canthin-6-one-9-O-β-glucopyranoside (C6OG) to 9-hydroxy-canthin-6-one (HCO) occurred in the Tx group by pre-treatment method. The enrichment of the aglycone sample exhibited a level of HCO (aglycone form) that was significantly higher (9.3-fold) than that of the non-Tx. Moreover, HCO had superior anti-inflammatory activity than the glycoside form. The enriched aglycone sample had higher potency than the non-Tx and suppressed inflammatory gene expression. Our findings provide novel insights into the benefits of using the pre-treatment method in health supplement products.