General

Scientific Names: Gossampinus malabarica (DC.) Merr

Common Names: Mu Mian, Hong Mian, Pan Zhi Hua, Ying Xung Hua, Feng Huo Shu.

BOTANICAL:

植物形态： 落叶乔木。干和枝上有短粗的刺，枝轮生平伸。掌状复叶，互生，长25厘米-40厘米；小叶5枚-7枚，长10厘米-20厘米，矩圆形至椭圆状矩圆形。2月-3月间开花，先花后叶于枝梢丛生，花红色杯形，直径12厘米左右，花萼厚革质。蒴果长椭圆形。

中药材基原: 为木棉科木棉属植物木棉Bombax malabarica L. [Gossampinus malabarica （L.） Merr.]，以花、树皮和根入药。

生药材鉴定： 花朵全长5～8厘米, 干时皱缩,呈不规则的块状,多不具子房和花柄。花萼杯状,长2.5～4厘米,直径2～3厘米顶端3～5裂 ,厚革质,甚脆,外表棕黑色,有纵皱纹,内面被灰黄色短绒毛。花瓣5片,皱缩或破碎,外面棕黄色或深棕色,被星状毛,内面红棕色,星状毛较少;雄蕊多数,排成多列,基部合生,花药肾形,卷曲。气微,味淡微甘。以朵大完整,色棕黄者为佳。

资源分布: 喜生于气候干热的山地。分布海南、台湾、广西、云南和四川南部:广东及福建中部以南广为栽培。印度、中南半岛、马来西亚至热带澳洲均有。

Pharmacology

化学成分: 樹皮及幼根含阿拉伯膠。

Efficacy

2-O-methylisohemigossylic acid lactone, a sesquiterpene, was purified from roots of mokumen (Gossampinus malabarica) and identified by Mass, and (1)H- and (13)-NMR. This sesquiterpene displayed strong growth inhibitory effect against human promyelotic leukemia HL-60 cells. Apoptotic morphological change of the nucleus, including chromatin condensation was induced in the HL-60 cells treated with the sesquiterpene. The fragmentation of DNA by the sesquiterpene to oligonucleosomal-sized fragments, a characteristic of apoptosis, was observed to be dose- and time-dependent in the HL-60 cells. Inhibitors of caspases suppressed the DNA fragmentation induced by the sesquiterpene. These findings suggest that growth inhibition by the sesquiterpene of HL-60 cells results from the induction of apoptosis by the sesqui-terpene, and that caspase cascade is involved in the induction of apoptosis by the compound in the HL-60 cells. (source)

IN VITRO:

1. Hibasami H, et al., 2-O-methylisohemigossylic acid lactone, a sesquiterpene, isolated from roots of mokumen (Gossampinus malabarica) induces cell death and morphological change indicative of apoptotic chromatin condensation in human promyelotic leukemia HL-60 cells. Int J Mol Med. 2004 Dec; 14(6):1029-33.
   

Safety