Protective constituents against sepsis in mice from the root barks of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica

In the course of isolating preventive agents against sepsis based on the in vivo assay model, eleven known compounds, (−)-catechin (1), catechin-7-O-β-apiofuranoside (2), catechin-7-O-α-Lrhamnopyranoside (3), catechin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), catechin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), butyl (+)-5′-methoxyisolariciresinol-9′-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (6), lyoniside (7), nudiposide (8), α-nigerose (9), butyl α-d-fructofuranoside (10), and procyanidin B3 (11) were isolated from the root barks of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. Compounds 2, 6, and 8 significantly protected against sepsis in a mouse model with survival rates of mice exposed to 10 mg/kg of LPS/d-GalN ranged from 80%–100%. Among them, 8 exhibited the most potent protective effect and decreased the plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-10 and ALT activity.