AUTHOR=Jeelani Mohammed , Fouotsa Hugues , Mohammed Osama A. , Alfaifi Jaber , Adebayo Salmon , Ahmed Mohammad Muzammil , Yahia Amar Ibrahim Omer , Eissa Hanan , Bahashwan Emad , Mohammed Nahid Ahmed , Alotaibi Yousef Ayesh , Asiri Ashwaq Yahya , Rezigallah Assad , Alharthi Muffarah Hamid , Dzoyem Jean Paul , Isa Adamu Imam TITLE=Naturally occurring benzophenones and xanthones from Garcinia smeathmannii (Planch. & Triana) Oliv. displayed anti-inflammatory effects by modulating the activities of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1370073 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2024.1370073 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=There is a growing interest in studying natural products for the identification of novel lead compounds for drug development for treating inflammatory diseases. Although some studies have focused antiinflammatory activity of benzophenones and xanthones, exploring additional targets such as enzymes and cytokines, involved in their inflammatory response could provide more comprehensive understanding of the compounds' anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, four xanthones ananixanthone (1), smeathxanthone A (2), smeathxanthone B (3), and1,3,5,8-tetrahydroxy-2-(3methybut-2-enyl)-4-(3,7-dimethyloct-2,6-dienyl) xanthone (4); and three benzophenones guttiferone O (5), guttiferone M (6), and aristophenone A (7) from Garcinia smeathmannii (Planch. & Triana) Oliv. were investigated for their effect on nitric oxide production, cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase inhibition, and Th1/Th2 cytokines production in activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The Griess reagent method and the ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange assay were used to evaluate the inhibition of NO production and the 15-lipoxygenase activity respectively. Cyclooxygenase activity was assessed using the fluorometric COX activity assay kit and measurement of Th1/Th2 cytokines was performed using a flow cytometer. All the tested compounds exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of NO production with varying degrees of inhibitory effects on 15-LOX activity. Compound (6), displays the best inhibitory effect on COX-1/COX-2 activity. A general trend of the tested compounds on cytokines profiles revealed that compound (5) showed a pronounced enhancement of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). This observation supports future exploration of ananixanthone (1), guttiferone O (5), and guttiferone (6) as potential candidates for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.