Quantitative analysis of anti-inflammatory activity of a kampo fomula, orengedokuto: importance of combination of flavonoids

The role of component crude drugs and their constituents of orengedokuto, one of the Kampo (the Japanese traditional Medicine) formulae for treatment of inflammatory diseases, was quantitatively analyzed using inhibition of PGE₂ production in J774.1 cells. Comparisons of PGE₂ production inhibitory activities of the component crude drugs showed that the activity could be ascribed to one of the component crude drugs, Scutellaria Root. Although activity guided isolation of the extract of Scutellaria Root gave four flavonoids 1-4 as active constituents, none of them alone could explain the activity of the extract. However, combinations of these compounds showed stronger activity than each compound at their concentrations in the extract, and the combination of the four compounds could account for the activity of the extract of Scutellaria Root, and orengedokuto.