Coleus barbatus

Riiedi, P Eugster, C. H. Struktur von Coleon E, einem neuen ditepenoiden Methylenchinon aus der Coleus barbatus-Gruppe (Labiatae). Helv. Chim. Acta 1972, 55, 1994-2014. 

VALDES III J.L. et al., 1987b, Coleus barbatus C.forskohlii) (Lamiaceae), and the potential new drug forskolin (coleonol), Econ.Bot., 41(4) 474-483. 

Forskolin Coleus barbatus, C. forskohlii AC activator (rat brain) (8)... 

Leaves of Coleus barbatus (Andr.) Benth. (Labiateae), known as falso boldo , are used in the region as an effective hepatoprotective agent. A comparative study of the hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of C. barbatus, P. boldus ( Chilean boldo ) and boldine indicated the presence of antioxidant activity for all the samples, measured by means of an inhibition in lipid peroxidation (V. Tamasiro, personal communication). However, C. barbatus was prooxidant when tested in vivo, thus indicating that this species should not be used as it were P. boldus. 

An unusual glycoside, wedeloside (96), from Wedelia asperrima (Asteraceae), inhibits mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier protein and has the ability to protect animals against the toxic effects of aflatoxin Bi (Croteau and Johnson, 1985 Node et al., 1982). Uie diterpene forskolin (97), from Coleus barbatus and C. forskohlii (Lamiaceae), is an activator of adenylate cyclase, and is an active inhibitor of the action of brefeldin A (a fungal metabolite with pronounced effects on protein trafficking in cells) (De Sousa and Shah, 1988 Schreiber, 1992 Valdes et al., 1987 Wagner, 1988). This compound also is of interest as an antihypertensive agent (Alcaraz and Rios, 1991 Hanson, 1991). 

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