Chem Biodivers. 2015 Jun;12(6):859-906. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.201400080.

Metabolomic Profile of the Genus Inula.

Seca AM1, Pinto DC2, Silva AM3.

• 1DCTD, University of Azores, PT-9501-801 Ponta Delgada.
• 2Department of Chemistry and QOPNA, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, PT-3810-193 Aveiro, (phone: +351-234-401407; fax: +351-234-370084). diana@ua.pt.
• 3Department of Chemistry and QOPNA, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, PT-3810-193 Aveiro, (phone: +351-234-401407; fax: +351-234-370084). artur.silva@ua.pt.

Abstract

Plants have a long history as therapeutics in the treatment of human diseases and have been used as source of medicines for ages. Searching for new biologically active natural products, many plants and herbs are screened for natural products with pharmacological activities. In this field, the genus Inula, which comprises more than 100 species, several of them being used in traditional medicine, is very important, especially due to the finding that several of the isolated pure secondary metabolites proved to possess important biological activities. Inula species have been reported as rich sources of sesquiterpene lactones, including eudesmanes, germacranes, guaianes, and dimeric structures, and since 2006 ca. 400 secondary metabolites, including more than 100 new natural products, some of them with relevant pharmacological activities, have been identified. Herein, we critically compile and update the information regarding the types of secondary metabolites found in the genus Inula and the progress in their isolation.

Copyright © 2015 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.

KEYWORDS:

Anti-inflammatory activity; Inula; Quinic acid derivatives; Sesquiterpene lactones; Traditional medicine

PMID:

26080736