Separation and Identification of Fatty Acids as Anti-inflammatory Principle from Mycelium of Streptomyces sp.

Abstract
Erythrocyte membrane stabilizing fraction (EMSF) was purified from the acetone extract of the mycelium of Streptomyces sp. F4818 by combining chromatography on silica gel and preparative TLC on silica gel. Heat-induced hemolysis was significantly inhibited by EMSF at a concentration of 2 .mu.g/ml and the hypotonic hemolysis was also inhibited by about 50% at a concentration of 12 .mu.g/ml of EMSF. EMSF showed high anti-inflammatory activity for carrageenan-induced edema in the hind paw of rats at the oral dose of 50 mg/kg. EMSF was a fatty acid mixture, consisting of C14:0, iso- or anteiso-C14:0, C15:0, iso C15:0, C16:0, iso-C16:0, iso- or anteiso-C17:0, C18:0, and C18:1 as shown by gas chromatography-mass spectra (GC-MS) analysis on their methyl esters. Palmitic acid, the main fatty acid component in EMSF, markedly suppressed the heat-induced, hypotonic hemolysis in vitro and carrageenan-induced edema in vivo.