Honokiol

Honokiol is a natural product derived from parts of the plant M. grandiflora used in Oriental herbal medicine. It is a lignan with diverse biological activities, including anticancer, neuroprotective, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatroy, antioxidant, antiviral, analgesic, antimicrobial, metabolic and GABA-modulating properties. Honokiol exerts broad-range anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo such as induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, inhibiting cell migration, invasion, and metastasis, as well as inducing anti-angiogenesis activity. Honokiol has neuroprotective effects based on its potent antioxidant activity, blockade of glutamate receptors and reduction in neuroinflammation. Honokiol also blocks inflammatory factor production in glial cells through the inhibition on NF-κ activation. It protects against lipid peroxidation by interfering with ROS production and migration. It regulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptors and it also prevents platelet aggregation. Honokiol has been shown to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in vitro and described as a non-adipogenic PPARγ agonist.