Effects of penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose on human neutrophil function: significant down-regulation of L-selectin expression.

Penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (PGG) occurrs in high concentrations in medicinal herbs such as Rhus chinensis, Paeonia suffruticosa, Acer truncatum and Terminalia chebula, which demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity. We investigated the effect of PGG on stimulated and non-stimulated neutrophils in processes which included reactive oxygen species generation (ROS), metalloproteinase-9 and interleukin-8 secretion (IL-8), β₂ integrin (CD11b) and L-selectin (CD62L) expression and apoptosis. In concentrations of 5 μM-20 μM, PGG demonstrated statistically significant inhibition of ROS generation, IL-8 secretion and β₂ integrin expression in stimulated neutrophils. The inhibition of L-selectin expression by PGG resulted in prevention in neutrophils' endothelial attachment. The result obtained may explain the anti-inflammatory activity of this compound and underline the contribution of PGG in the activity of PGG rich plant extracts.