Taraxasterol acetate

Taraxasterol acetate from the Ayurvedic drug Echinops echinatus (Asteraceae) reached 63% inhibition after 4 h, but at a high dose regime (200 mg/kg, p.o.), and this activity was not much improved when this product was given i.p. (68% inhibition) [64]. 

Apart from the acute anti-inflammatory activity described in the preceding section, taraxasterol acetate was also tested for chronic activity in the model of Freund s adjuvant-induced rat arthritis. When 80 mg/kg of this compound were administered i.p., a 57% decrease with respect to the control value for the injected limb was observed at 18 h. After 21 days, the secondary reaction, which is measured on the non-injected limb, was reduced by 78%. Given the fact that in this condition the injected limb suffered a comparable reduction of 67%, it seems that taraxasterol acetate did not act by modifying immune mechanisms [64]. Duwiejua et al. [66] also reported appreciable anti-arthritic activity for glutin-3-one 44% and 74% reductions in the ipsilateral and contralateral paw swelling, respectively, after 10 days. 

P-Sitosterol and stigmasterol are the common steroids in the genus. So far only few common triterpenes such as friedelin (207), e/ /-fnedelinol (208), a-amyrin (204), P-amyrin (205), a-amyrin acetate (206), taraxasterol (213), lupeyl acetate (209), magnificol (210) were isolated from Tanacetum species. However, T. sinaicum afforded unusual new malabaricane type triterpenoids 3p-acetoxymalabarican-14(26),17E,21-triene (211) and 3-oxo-malabarica-14(26),17E,21-triene (212) (Table 1). 

Crude chicle contains 15-20% hydrocarbons that are polyisoprenes (mixture of low molecular weight cis-, A and trans-, A units in an approximately 2 7 ratio) up to 55% of a yellow resin, consisting primarily of lupeol acetate with minor amounts of P-amyrin and a-spi-nasterol acetates also, taraxasterol and other triterpene alcohol acetates a gum composed of a (1 —> 4)-linked xylan backbone highly substimtedwith oligosaccharidechains sugar ... 

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