A new matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibitor 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid (caffeic acid) from methanol extract of Euonymus alatus: isolation and structure determination

In a previous paper [Cha, B.Y., Park, C.J., Lee, D.G., Lee, Y.C., Kim, D.W., Kim, J.D., Seo, W.G., Moon, S.K., Kim, C.H., 2003. Inhibitory effect of methanol extract from Euonymus alatus on matrix metalloproteinase-9, J. Ethnopharm. 85, 163-167], methanol extracts prepared from stems of Euonymus alatus showed a strong inhibitory effect of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 activity, which is known to be involved in tumor cell invasion and metastasis, in a concentration-dependent manner on zymography. Assay guided fractionation led to the isolation of a caffeic acid (CA) as the compound responsible for the anti-MMP-9 activity. CA was finally obtained by reversed-phase HPLC, and its structure was elucidated by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. The purified CA inhibited MMP-9 activity with the IC50 of 10-20 nM.