dione); 1 1flOH-P (1 1/?-hydroxyprogesterone; 1 1 /?-hydroxypregn-4ene-3,20-dione); 1 I-0x0-P (1 1-oxoprogesterone; pregn-4-ene-3,11,20trione); 21-d-F (2 I-deoxycortisol; 11/?,17a-dihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20dione); 2 1 -d-E (2 1-deoxycortisone; 17a-hydroxypregn-4-ene-3,11,20trione); 1 1-deoxycortisol (Reichstein’s substance S ; cortexolone; 1 7 ~ 2 l-dihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione); DHS (dihydro...

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), an aglycone of glycyrrhizin, isolated from the licorice root (Glycyrrhizia), and its semi-synthetic derivatives have a wide range of pharmacological effects. To investigate whether GA derivatives may be used as a new class of analgesics, we examined the effects of these compounds on human tachykinin receptors expressed in CHO-K1 cells. Among the GA derivatives examined...

Acorns play an important role in human history and are a source of food and recipes for many cultures around the world. In this study, eleven oleanolic triterpenes, one of which was novel, were isolated from Chinese acorns (Quercus serrata var. brevipetiolata). The chemical structure of the novel triterpene, which was identified as 2α,3β,19α-trihydroxy-24-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (1), was es...

Androgen-insensitive DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cells express high levels of specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4, and treatment of cells with methyl 2-cyano-3,11-dioxo-18β-olean-1,12-dien-30-oate (CDODA-Me) inhibited cell growth and downregulated Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 expression. CDODA-Me (15 mg/kg/d) was a potent inhibitor of tumor growth in a mouse xenograft ...

Three new ursane- and four new oleanane- type triterpenoids 1-7 were isolated, along with six known compounds 8-13, from the methanolic extract of Microtropis fokienensis. All structures were elucidated by mass and NMR spectroscopic methods. The isolates 4-10 and known compounds 14-17 that were previously isolated from this material were evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity based on effects...

Methyl 2-cyano-3,11-dioxo-18beta-olean-1,12-diene-30-oate (beta-CDODA-Me) is a synthetic analog of the naturally occurring triterpenoid glycyrrhetinic acid, which contains a 2-cyano substituent in the A-ring. beta-CDODA-Me was a potent inhibitor of LNCaP prostate cancer cell growth (IC(50) approximately 1 muM) and activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), whereas a...

Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) is used in the traditional treatment of cancer, hyperlipidaemia and hyperglycaemia. We, therefore, investigated its composition potential cytotoxic or antioxidant properties that might underlie phytotherapeutic applications. Its methanolic fruit extract yielded compounds 1, 2 3, identified through NMR, UV MS analyses as olean-12-en-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, isoquerc...

Oleanolic acid (3β-hydroxy-olea-12-en-28-oic acid) is a natural pentacyclic triterpenoic acid found in many fruits, herbs and medicinal plants. In the past decade, increasing evidence has suggested that oleanolic acid exhibits inhibitory activities against different types of cancer including skin cancer and colon cancer, but not leukemia. We report here that a derivative of oleanolic acid, olea...