New Triterpenoids from the Fruiting Bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

Laetiporus sulphureus is a popular medicinal mushroom with diverse pharmacological activities in many Asian countries. Four new triterpenoids, named sulphurenoids A-D (1-4), along with 12 known analogues, were isolated from the fruits of L. sulphureus. Nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) techniques were used for the investigation of the chemical structure of isolated compounds. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of three new compounds (2-4) was tested for NO production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The IC50 values of isolated triterpenoids ranged from 14.3 to 42.3 µM, which were more effective than the positive control (IC50 for minocycline was 73.0 µM). The experimentally obtained anti-inflammatory activity data of L. sulphureus are in agreement with its traditional use.

Brassinosteroid analogues from the fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus and their anti-inflammatory activity.

Three new brassinosteroid analogues, named sulphurenolide A, sulphurenolide B and sulphurenolide C, were isolated from the methanolic extract of fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS) and ECD calculation. Sulphurenolides A and B are a pair of C-20 epimer, and sulphurenolide B represents the first naturally occurring 20R-brassinosteroid. Moreover, sulphurenolides A-C are firstly reported 5-hydroxylation and homo-6-oxa derivatives of brassinosteroids from natural sources. Anti-inflammatory assay revealed that sulphurenolides B and C exhibited significant inhibitory effects on NO production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells, and sulphurenolide C showed stronger inhibition than that of positive control, minocycline.

Piptolinic acids F-J, five new lanostane-type triterpenoids from Piptoporus betulinus.

Five new lanostane-type triterpenoids, named piptolinic acids F - J (1-5), as well as seven known analogues (6-12), were isolated from methanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of Piptoporus betulinus. Compounds 1-4 were 24-methyl-lanostane triterpenoids, while compound 5 was a 3,4-seco-lanostane derivative. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS). Cytotoxicity evaluation indicated that compound 6 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against human melanoma cell line A-375 (IC50 = 42.8 µM) and human renal carcinoma cell line 786-O (IC50 = 56.5 µM).

New coumarin from the roots of Prangos pabularia.

The new coumarin 1, yuganin A (7-methoxy-8-((1S,2S)-1,2,3-trihydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-2H-chromen-2-one) along with nine known coumarins, heraclenol 3'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), oxypeucedanin hydrate 3'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3), heraclenol (4), oxypeucedanin hydrate (5), osthole (6), oxypeucedanin (7), heraclenin (8), isoimperatorin (9), imperatorin (10) and the disaccharide sucrose (11), have been isolated from the roots of Prangos pabularia, and the structures of these isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic means, especially, UV, HR-ESIMS, and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the anti-melanogenic effect of yuganin A and its inhibitory effect on B16 cells were evaluated. Yuganin A may be useful in the treatment of hyperpigmentation and as a skin-whitening agent in the cosmetics industry.