New Guaianolide Sesquiterpene Lactones and Other Constituents from Pyrethrum pulchrum.

Pyrethrum pulchrum is a rare Mongolian plant species that has been traditionally used as an ingredient in various remedies. Bioactivity-guided fractionation performed on the methanol extract of its aerial parts led to the isolation of 2 previously undescribed guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactones, namely 1ß,10ß-epoxy-8α-hydroxyguaia-3,11(13)-dien-6,12-olide (1: ) and 1,8,10-trihydroxyguaia-3,11(13)-dien-6,12-olide (2: ), along with the isolation or chromatographic identification of 11 compounds, arglabin (3: ), 3ß-hydroxycostunolide (4: ), isocostic acid (5: ), (E)-9-(2-thienyl)-6-nonen-8-yn-3-ol (6: ), (Z)-9-(2-thienyl)-6-nonen-8-yn-3-ol (7: ), N 1,N 5,N 10,N 14-tetra-p-coumaroyl spermine (8: ), chlorogenic acid (9: ), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (10: ), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (11: ), 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (12: ), and tryptophan (13: ). Their structures were assigned based on spectroscopic and spectrometric data. The antimicrobial, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities of selected compounds were evaluated. The new compounds showed weak to moderate antimicrobial activity. Arglabin (3: ), the major sesquiterpene lactone found in the methanol extract of P. pulchrum, exhibited the highest activity against human cancer lines, while compound 1: also possesses significant antiproliferative activity against leukemia cells.

Bioactive flavonoids from plant extract of Pyrethrum pulchrum and its acute toxicity.

Pyrethrum pulchrum Ledeb. has been a phytochemically unexplored Mongolian medicinal folklore plant. In this study, its total flavonoid content was determined and fourteen flavonoids (1-14) were isolated from the aerial parts of P. pulchrum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. The compounds 12-14, methoxyflavones, were tested for antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity against A549, HeLa, K-562, THP-1 and HUVEC cell lines. This is the first report on the effects of 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3,6,3'-trimethoxyflavone (13) against all tested cell lines and it exhibited potent activity against chronic myeloid leukemia K-562 and acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells, each with GI50 value at 2.0 µg/mL. The 5,4'-dihydroxy-3,6,7,3'-tetramethoxyflavone (14) showed the most potent activity against THP-1 (GI50 = 1.1 µg/mL) and the highest cytotoxicity (5.6 µg/mL). In addition, acute toxicity of plant ethanol extract was evaluated and the lethal dose (LD50) was estimated at 1048 mg/kg.

Artemisioside, a new monoterpene glucoside from the aerial parts of Artemisia ordosica (Asteraceae).

A new monoterpene glucoside, artemisioside, was isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia ordosica Krasch. (Asteraceae). The chemical structure was elucidated from physicochemical data and by the application of Klyne's rule.

Intestinal protozoan infections and echinococcosis in the inhabitants of Dornod and Selenge, Mongolia (2003).

The status of intestinal parasitic infections and seroprevalence of cystic echinococcosis in the inhabitants in Dornod and Selenge, Mongolia, was observed with stool and serum samples from 165 and 683 residents from August 9 to August 15, 2003. A total of 10 inhabitants (6.1%) were found to be infected with protozoan cysts or oocysts by stool examinations; 7, 1 and 2 cases with Entamoeba coli, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum, respectively. A total of 62 people (9.1%) revealed significantly high levels of specific antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The surveyed areas are rural areas and the sanitized tab water is not available. There is a possibility of endemic transmission of water-borne protozoan diseases in these areas. The clinical echinococcosis is needed to be searched from the seropositive inhabitants.