The traditional medicine licorice is the most widely consumed herbal product in the world. Although much research work on studying the changes in the active compounds of licorice has been reported, there are still many areas, such as the dynamic accumulation of secondary metabolites in licorice, that need to be further studied. In this study, the secondary metabolites from licorice under two di...

Human carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1), one of the most important serine hydrolases distributed in liver and adipocytes, plays key roles in endobiotic homeostasis and xenobiotic metabolism. This study aimed to find potent and selective inhibitors against hCE1 from phytochemicals and their derivatives. To this end, a series of natural triterpenoids were collected and their inhibitory effects against hu...

Our previous results elucidated that the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica possessed the potential to suppress ovariectomy-induced bone mineral density deterioration, and ursolic acid, the major bioactive component in these leaves, suppressed the osteoclast differentiation. The aim of this study was to discover more candidates for development of novel antiosteoclastogenesis agents from the leaves o...

wnloaded creatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is nearly s fatal. Whereas early detection offers the most promising approach for reducing the mortality of isease, there is still a need to develop effective drugs for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic r. We tested two promising classes of noncytotoxic drugs, synthetic oleanane triter...

Triterpenoids are a group of structurally diverse specialized metabolites that frequently show useful bioactivities. These chemicals are biosynthesized from the common precursor 2,3-oxidosqualene in plants. The carbon skeletons produced by oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) are usually modified by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) and UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases. These biosynthetic enzymes...

Triterpenoids are the most promising plant secondary metabolites. Several triterpenoids, including ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, celastrol, pristimerin, lupeol and avicins are representative group of phytochemicals possesses biological properties. Anti-tumor, anti-cancer, anti-biotic, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, acetyl cholinesterase, anti-wrinkle and antifeedant act...

Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Triterpenoids and flavonoids from the plant have many beneficial effects and their chemical structures are modified in the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration. However, absorption of these triterpenoids and flavonoids still needs to be defined. Here, the uptake and t...