From the 1-BuOH-soluble fraction of a MeOH extract of leaves of Schefflera arboricola, collected in Okinawa, six new lupane glucosides, named schefflerins A-F (1-6) and one new dammarane glucoside, named schefflerin G (7), were isolated together with three known compounds, citroside A (8), and oleanane saponins, oleanolic acid (9) and echinocystic acid (10) 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→4')-O-β-D-g...

The title compound, C30H44O3 [systematic name: 6aR,6 bR,8aS,9aR,12aR,14bR)-4,4,6a,6;b,8a,14b-hexa-methyl-12-methyl-eneicosa-hydro-3H-phenanthro[1',2':6,7]indeno-[2,1-b]furan-3,11(2H)-dione], is a triterpene lactone, which was isolated from di-chloro-methane extract of Elaeodendron trichotomum (Turcz.) Lundell (celastraceae) stem bark. The compound has a lupane skeleton and consists of four fuse...

Betulinic acid (BA) is a lupane-type triterpene with a number of biological activities already reported. While potent anti-HIV and antitumoral activities were attributed to BA, it is considered to have a moderate anti-inflammatory activity. Here we evaluated the effects of BA in a mouse model of endotoxic shock. Endotoxemia was induced through intraperitoneally LPS administration, nitric oxide ...

Inhibitors of COMT are clinically used for the treatment Parkinson’s disease. Here, we report first natural pentacyclic triterpenoid-type inhibitors and their structure-activity relationships inhibition mechanism. The most potent compounds were found to be oleanic acid, betulinic acid celastrol with IC50 values 3.89–5.07 μM, that acted as mixed (uncompetitive plus non-competitive) COMT, represe...

Novel cationic dimethylaminopyridine derivatives of pentacyclic triterpenes were previously described to promote mitochondrial depolarization and cell death in breast and melanoma cell lines. The objective of this work was to further investigate in detail the mechanism of mitochondrial perturbations, correlating those effects with breast cancer cell responses to those same agents. Initially, a ...

The present study describes the leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities of two quinonemethide triterpenes, maytenin (1) and pristimerin (2), isolated from Maytenus ilicifolia root barks (Celastraceae). The compounds were effective against the Trypanosomatidae Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi and Trypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agents of leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease, respective...

Five previously undescribed triterpenoid saponins (1-5), along with eight known ones (6-13), were isolated from the whole plants of Anemone rivularis var. flore-minore. Their structures were clarified by extensive spectroscopic data and chemical evidence. For the first time, the lupane-type saponins (3 and 12) were reported from the Anemone genus. The anti-proliferative activity of all isolated...

Viscum album L. lipophilic extract (VALE) contains pharmacologically active pentacyclic triterpenes that are known to exhibit immunomodulatory, antitumor, and wound healing activity. Preliminary clinical observations indicate that VALE was able to influence cutaneous wound healing in vivo. The objective of this study was to investigate wound closure related properties of VALE in vitro. As measu...