It is well known that activated microglia produce nitric oxide (NO), which has an important role in the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. In the course of searching for novel therapeutic agents from medicinal plants against neuroinflammatory diseases, the methanolic extract of Tetrapanax papyriferus was found to have significant NO inhibitory act...

Um novo triterpeno, 3β,22ξ,23ξ-triidróxi-22ξ-acetóxi-24-metil-lanosta-8,24(28)-dieno-31-al, denominado pisosteral, e quatro triterpenos lanostanos conhecidos, 3β,22ξ,23ξ-triidróxi-22ξ-acetóxi24-metil-lanosta-8,24(28)-dieno (pisosterol), 3α,22ξ,23ξ-triidróxi-22ξ-acetóxi-24-metil-lanosta8,24(28)-dieno (3-epi-pisosterol), 3β,22ξ,23ξ-triidróxi-23ξ-acetóxi-24-metil-lanosta-8,24(28)-dieno e 3β,22ξ,23...

Four new lanostane triterpenes, colossolactone V (1), colossolactone VI (2), colossolactone VII (3), and colossolactone VIII (4), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of the Vietnamese mushroom Ganoderma colossum, together with the known compound colossolactone E (5). The structures of 1- 4 were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic evidence, and their absolute configurations were determined...

The hindered diene 1 reacts with 3-methylcyclohexenone 6 catalyzed by triflimide to produce the Mukaiyama Michael product 7 (low-temperature quenching) or the [4+2] cycloadduct 8 (quenching at 0 degrees C). Reaction of the hindered diene 23 with 2-methylcyclohexenone 12 with 5:1 AlBr3:AlMe3 afforded a 71% yield of a 1.9:1 mixture of two cycloadducts. Hydrolysis of the major isomer gave the dion...

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) represent the largest enzyme family of the plant metabolism. Plants typically devote about 1% of the protein-coding genes for the P450s to execute primary metabolism and also to perform species-specific specialized functions including metabolism of the triterpenes, isoprene-derived 30-carbon compounds. Triterpenes constitute a large and structurally divers...

The efficacy of Prunella extracts in the prevention and treatment of lung cancer has been attributed to different components. In this study, an "active components combination model" hypothesis was proposed to explain the anti-tumor activity of Prunella. The efficacy of Prunella extracts from different regions was compared in vitro and in vivo, and the TNF-α activity in serum of tumor-bearing mi...

In addition to 3'-methoxyluteolin and mixtures of sterols and triterpenes, the leaves of Syphocampylus Verticellatus yielded two piperidine alkaloid hydrochlorides, one of them has a novel structure. The alkaloids exhibit antinociceptive activity.

Frankincense extracts and boswellic acids, biologically active pentacyclic triterpenes of frankincense, block leukotriene biosynthesis and exert potent anti-inflammatory effects. Screening for additional effects of boswellic acids on further proinflammatory pathways, we observed that acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid, an established direct, nonredox and noncompetitive 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor,...

Poria cocos is a medicinal mushroom that is widely used in traditional Asian medicine. Here, we show that a characterized mixture of triterpenes extracted from P. cocos (PTE) and three purified triterpenes: pachymic acid (PA), dehydropachymic acid (DPA) and polyporenic acid C (PPAC) suppress the proliferation of the human pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, MiaPaca-2, AsPc-1 and BxPc-3. Moreov...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is well known for its diverse pharmacological properties and has been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. Although a variety of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities are identified, our understanding of the biosynthetic pathways that produce them has remained largely incomplete. We studied transcriptional ch...