Sulfation and Its Effect on the Bioactivity of Magnolol, the Main Active Ingredient of Magnolia Officinalis

Magnolol, the main active ingredient of Magnolia officinalis, has been reported to display anti-inflammatory activity. Sulfation plays an important role in the metabolism of magnolol. The magnolol sulfated metabolite was identified by the ultra-performance liquid chromatography to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). The magnolol sulfation activity of seven major recombinant sulfotransferases (SULTs) isoforms (SULT1A1*1, SULT1A1*2, SULT1A2, SULT1A3, SULT1B1, SULT1E1, and SULT2A1) was analyzed. The metabolic profile of magnolol was investigated in liver S9 fractions from human (HLS9), rat (RLS9), and mouse (MLS9). The anti-inflammatory effects of magnolol and its sulfated metabolite were evaluated in RAW264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Magnolol was metabolized into a mono-sulfated metabolite by SULTs. Of the seven recombinant SULT isoforms examined, SULT1B1 exhibited the highest magnolol sulfation activity. In liver S9 fractions from different species, the CLint value of magnolol sulfation in HLS9 (0.96 µL/min/mg) was similar to that in RLS9 (0.99 µL/min/mg) but significantly higher than that in MLS9 (0.30 µL/min/mg). Magnolol and its sulfated metabolite both significantly downregulated the production of inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) stimulated by LPS (p < 0.001). These results indicated that SULT1B1 was the major enzyme responsible for the sulfation of magnolol and that the magnolol sulfated metabolite exhibited potential anti-inflammatory effects.