BACKGROUND The flowers of Inula japonica (Inulae Flos) have long been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of Inulae Flos Extract (IFE). METHODS The anti-inflammatory effects of IFE against nitric oxide (NO), PGE(2), TNF-α, and IL-6 release, as well as NF-κB and MAP kinase activation wer...

We have identified through bioassay guided isolation an allelochemical, eudesmane-type sesquiterpeniod, 3beta-caffeoxyl-beta1,8alpha-dihydroxyeudesm-4(15)-ene (1), from an endemic plant species growing in the Himalayas. In our search for the bioactive subfraction, the hexane one was highly significant, showing 100% inhibition of lettuce seed growth at 100 ppm while other subfractions (chlorofor...

The retinal structures of the compound eyes of insects are being investigated as par t of a comparative study of the s tructure and biochemistry of visual organs (1 5). T he compound eye of the insect is composed of numerous ommatidia , each of which consists of f rom four to eight re t inula cells. Each re t inula cell contains a differentiated structure, the rhabdomere , a photoreceptor . The...

The title compound, C(16)H(24)O(3), was synthesized from ilicic acid which was isolated from the aerial part of Inula Viscosa- (L) Aiton [or Dittrichia Viscosa- (L) Greuter]. The mol-ecule contains two fused six-membered rings both in chair conformations. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into chains running parallel to the a axis by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Inula britannica L., family Asteraceae, is used in traditional Chinese and Kampo Medicines for various diseases. Flowers or the aerial parts are a rich source of secondary metabolites. These consist mainly of terpenoids (sesquiterpene lactones and dimmers, diterpenes and triterpenoids) and flavonoids. The isolated compounds have shown diverse biological activities: anticancer, antioxidant, anti...