Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Galloyl Derivatives and Antidiabetic Activities of Acer ginnala

Chromatographic isolation of the 80% MeOH extract of Acer ginnala (AG) yielded seven galloyl derivatives: gallic acid (1), ginnalin B (2), acertannin (3), maplexin D (4), maplexin E (5), quercetin-3-O-(2′′-galloyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (6), and kaempferol-3-O-(2′′-galloyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (7). This is the first study to report the isolation of compounds 4 and 5 from AG. Galloyl derivatives 3–7 exhibited potent radical scavenging activities, with 5 and 7 showing particularly strong inhibitory activities against nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharides- (LPS-) stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, oral administration of AG extract (500 mg/kg b.w.) improved symptoms of hyperglycemia and blunted the increases in serum GOT/GPT levels in a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes. These results suggest that galloyl derivatives (1–7) are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents and that AG extract has potential as a functional material or novel herbal medicine for treating diabetes mellitus.