Euphorbia species

Gotta H, Adolf W, Opferkuch HJ, Hecker E. (1984) On the active principles of the Enphorbiaceae, IX. Ingenane type diterpene esters from five Euphorbia species. Z Naturforsch B 39 683-694 Hohmann J, Evanics E, Berta L, Bartok T. (2000) Diterpenoids from Euphorbia peplus. Planta Med 66 291-294 Ivanova A, Khozin-Goldberg 1, Kamenarska Z, Nechev J, Cohen Z, Popov S, Stefanov K. (2003) Lipophylic componnds from Euphorbia peplis L. — a halophytic plant from the Bnlgarian black sea coast. Z. Naturforsch 58c 783-788. 

Tumor promotion is preferential proliferation of a cell damaged by transformation, it is a very slow process that can take many years. Certain substances are able to strongly accelerate it—e.g., phorbol esters. These occur in plants (e. g.. Euphorbia species) and act as activators of protein kinase C (see p. 386). 

Several studies have examined the chemistry of Euphorbia species. A majority of these investigations have focused on the chemical character of the plant latex relative to taxonomy (, ) or mammalian toxicity Toxic Ingenane diterpenes (phorbols) have also been... 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES Algeria. Hot water extract of the seed, mixed with Euphorbia species and a beetle, is taken orally to facilitate childbirth° °. Arabic countries. The dried seeds are used as an abortifacient in the form of a pessary in Unani medicine° . 

The toxic constituents of Euphorbia species have received widespread attention. Two diterpenoids which accompany bertyadionol in Bertya cuppressoidea have been shown108 to be (105a and b). Degradation of the five-membered ring to R-methylsuccinic acid has established the absolute stereochemistry of bertyadionol at C-2. 

Daphnanes (C5 (C7 C6) include a variety of cytotoxic, irritant, inflammatory and toxic compounds from the Thymelaeaceae and the Euphorbiaceae. Of particular note are the highly inflammatory PKC activators resiniferatoxin and tinyatoxin from Euphorbia species (Euphorbiaceae) and thymeleatoxin from Thymeka hirsuta (Thymelaeaceae). While the nonester resiniferonol is inactive, the ester (X—CO—O—Y) resiniferatoxin is both an anti-nociceptive vanilloid receptor (capsaicin receptor) agonist and a PKC activator, as is the ester tinyatoxin. 

Ingenanes (C5 G7 ] C7 ] G3) include irritants and secondary tumour promoters (cocarcinogens) from Euphorbia species (Euphorbiaceae) that activate PKC. While the non-ester... 

In the continuing search for irritant substances from Euphorbia species, two unusual epoxides, jolkinolides A and B [(30) and (31) respectively], have been isolated from Euphorbia jolkini. Hydrogenation of jolkinolide B gave a diol (32) which was converted via the phenolic acid (33) into ferruginol. 

Numerous studies of secondary metabolism in plant cell cultures have been reported but few have mentioned alkane accumulation, although probably it is widespread. The alkane pattern in cell suspensions of Euphorbia species was similar to that in leaves (mainly n-C2s, 29 alkanes) and recoveries were 5 to 60% (in different cell lines) of that obtained from the parent tissue , and similar products (n-C29, n-C3i predominant) were obtained for cultures of guayule . In contrast, cell lines from Pogostemon species yielded alkanes (n-C g and n-C v) of lower chain length than the major (n-C3i) alkane of the cutin of the parent at levels only ca 10% that in the latter . Callus from a Rosmarinus species similarly yielded n-C g, n-Cj and n-Ci7 whereas the parent leaf tissue mainly accumulated a n-C29 alkane . ... 

SosATH, S., H. H. Ott, and E. Hecker, Irritant principles of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). XIII. Oligocyclic and macrocy-clic diterpene esters from latices of some Euphorbia species utilized as source plants of honey, J. Nat. Prod., 51,1062-1074 (1988). 

All aerial organs of higher plants are covered primarily with a thin continuous wax layer. These surface or epicuticular waxes consist of a very complex mixture of different components. In most cases these very long chained lipids are found in form of homologous series. The composition of the wax lipids shows species specific and also organ specific patterns. But numerous plants in addition contain triterpenoids,mostly pentacyclic compounds. The composition of triterpenoids from two Euphorbia species and from the leaf waxes of the trees Citrus halimii, Tilia tomentosa and Tilia x europaea will be summarized in this paper (Table 1). 

In China, numerous Euphorbia species (e.g., E. humifusa Willd., E. pekinensis Rupr., E. lunulata Bunge, E. lathyris L., and E. sieboldiana Morr. et Decne.) are traditionally used in treating conditions that include dysentery, enteritis, ascites, bleeding, dropsical nephritis, and chronic bronchitis. Some of these uses have been clinically substantiated... 

Duarte, N., Ramalhete, C., Varga, A., Molnar, J., Ferreira, M.-J.U., 2009. Multidrug resistamnce modulation and apoptosis induction of cancer cells by terpenic compounds isolated from Euphorbia species. Anticancer Res. 29, 4467—4472. 

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