Studies on Differentiation-Inducers from Arctium Fructus

Abstract

In the course of studying differentiation-inducers from plants, their isolation was performed from the methanolic extract of Arctium Fructus (the fruits of Arctium lappa L., Compositae), and then their phagocytic activity on differentiated mouse myeloid leukemia cells (Ml) was monitered. Thirteen compounds, including five new ones, were isolated as differentiation-inducers toward Ml cells. These consisted of two lignans, eight sesquilignans and three dilignans. Arctigenin (2) was the most effective compound of all those isolated, and it induced differentiation of Ml cells at a concentration 0.5 pM. Sesquilignans were less effective than lignans and dilignans showed even weaker activity. These lignoids were inactive towards a human acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60). © 1993, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.