Inflammation is the responses of body to harmful stimuli in many pathological conditions. Prevention and treatment of inflammation are the main indication of a variety of natural products. Recently, Niuchangchih (Antrodia camphorata), a medicinal mushroom in Taiwan, has received considerable attention from the public due to its potent bioactivities, such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, immuno-modulatory and anti-hepatitis activities1. Till now, researchers have identified a total of 26 compounds from Niuchangchih, including 11 succinic/maleic acid derivatives, 8 triterpenoids, 1 benzenoids, 1 benzoquinone derivative, 5 miscellaneous compounds and polysaccharides, that possess anti-inflammatory effect2, 3. However, the mechanisms underlying their anti-inflammatory actions remain elusive.

A recent study by Chen et al elucidated the molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammation of Niuchangchih. The authors isolated and purified 5 major antcins (A, B, C, H, and K) from fruiting bodies of Niuchangchih. They found that antcin A was most similar to glucocorticoids among the 5 compounds in the chemical structure. Furthermore, they demonstrated in human lung cancer cell A549 that antcin A was the active ingredient responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect of Niuchangchih, which might act via the same molecular mechanism triggered by glucocorticoids4. Finally, they showed the docking of antcin A to glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in a molecular modeling study. Thus, via mimicking glucocorticoids, antcin A may diffuse across the cell membrane and bind to the cytosolic GR that forms a dimmer after dissociated from the heat-shock protein (HSP) and then translocates into the nucleus to initiate the suppression of inflammation at the gene regulation level. Molecular docking showed that C-7 of antcin A was attached to the hydrophobic side of the steroidal backbone of GR, while C-7 of the other antcins was attached to the hydrophilic group, thus being expelled when docking to the binding cavity of GR.

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