BACKGROUND In addition to recognized antimalarial effects, Artemisia annua L. (Qinghao) possesses anticancer properties. The underlying mechanisms of this activity are unknown. The aim of our experiments was to investigate the effects of distinct types of compounds isolated from A. annua on the immune-activated production of major mediators of angiogenesis playing a crucial role in growth of tu...

Sesquiterpene lactones constitute a large and diverse group of biologically active plant chemical that have been identified in the several plant families.The pharmacological properties of interest involving the sesquiterpene lactones are their antibacterial, antifungal and anti-plusmodial activities.Indeed, assessing the biological activities of the sesquiterpene lactones found in plants and th...

Pseudotutin previously isolated from Coriaria japonica A. GRAY was revealed to be a molecular compound consisting of equimolar tutin (2) and a new related sesquiterpene lactone, corianin (3). Corianin was also isolated together with coriamyrtin (1), tutin (2) and coriatin (4), from Loranthus parasiticus MERR., a parasitic plant that grows on the twigs of Coriaria sinica MAXIM. The structure of ...

In order to find novel plant-derived biologically active compounds against Trypanosoma cruzi, we isolated, from the organic extract of Smallanthus sonchifolius, the sesquiterpene lactones enhydrin (1), uvedalin (2), and polymatin B (3) by bioassay-guided fractionation technique. These compounds showed a significant trypanocidal activity against the epimastigote forms of the parasite with IC50 v...

Herbal extracts containing sesquiterpene lactones have been extensively used in traditional medicine and are known to be rich in α,β-unsaturated functionalities that can covalently engage target proteins. Here we report synthetic methodologies to access analogues of deoxyelephantopin, a sesquiterpene lactone with anticancer properties. Using alkyne-tagged cellular probes and quantitative proteo...

The nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is a promising target for drug discovery. NF-κB is a heterodimeric complex of RelA and p50 subunits that interact with the DNA, regulating the expression of several genes; its dysregulation can trigger diverse diseases including inflammation, immunodeficiency, and cancer. There is some experimental evidence, based on whole cells studies, that natural sesquiterpene ...

Sesquiterpene lactones display a wide variety of biological effects such as antiviral, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity. In previous studies some derivatives of sesquiterpene lactones were prepared to be tested as antiviral and/or cytoxic agents. In the present report we describe the effects of seven modified sesquiterpene lactones on the proliferation of several cancer cell lines. We d...

Oncosiphon piluliferum (Asteraceae) is used traditionally to treat a variety of ailments, mainly fevers. This prompted the screening of this plant for antiplasmodial properties. The dichloromethane extract of the aerial parts of the plant showed activity in vitro against the chloroquine-sensitive (IC(50) 2.6microg/ml) and the chloroquine-resistant (IC(50) 3.1microg/ml) strains of Plasmodium fal...

The aerial parts of Centaurea deusta Ten. afforded in addition to several known compounds, mainly sesquiterpene lactones, one new eudesmanolide and one new elemane derivative. Structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities of the isolated compounds was tested, using the microdilution method. All compounds tested sho...

Arnica Montana extract, a natural limuloid contains about 59 ingredients out of which sesquiterpene lactones helenalin, and dihydrohelenalin, are considered significant medicinally active ingredients. Arnica Montana is commonly used in folk medicine, CAM, and Homeopathic drug as neurotropic, cardiotropic, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-bacterial, Anti-oxidant, Anti tumors, to control diabetes, etc. Th...