Triterpenoids from Euphorbia maculata and Their Anti-Inflammatory Effects.

Euphorbia maculata is a medicinal plant of the Euphorbiaceae family, which can produce anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive agents of triterpenoids. The present study reports on the bioactive triterpenoids of this plant. Two new lanostane-type triterpenoids, named (3 S ,4 S ,7 S ,9 R )-4-methyl-3,7-dihydroxy-7(8→9) abeo -lanost-24(28)-en-8-one ( 1 ) and 24-hydroperoxylanost-7,25-dien-3β-ol ( 2 ), together with 15 known triterpene derivatives, were isolated from Euphorbia maculata . The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data (UV, MS, ¹H and 13 C-NMR, and 2D NMR) analysis. All tetracyclic triterpenoids ( 1 ⁻ 11 ) were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects in the test of TPA-induced inflammation (1 μg/ear) in mice. The triterpenes exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activities.