• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.925-928
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• 2003

Four guaia-12,6-olide type sesquiterpene lactones, aguerin B (1), 8$\alpha$-acetoxyzaluzanin C (2), cynaropicrin (3), and deacylcynaropicrin (4), were isolated from the flowers of Hemisteptia Iyrata Bunge. It is the first report on the isolation of compounds 1-4 from Hemisteptia species. All the isolates (1-4) were examined for their cytotoxic activity against SK-OV-3, LOX-IMVI, A549, MCF-7, PC-3, and HCT-15 human cancer cell lines.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1142-1146
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• 2005

Seven sesquiterpene lactones were isolated by the chromatographic separation of the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of Saussurea calcicola (Compositae). Their structures were determined spectroscopically to be cynaropicrin (1), arguerin B (2), cebellin F (3), 8${\alpha}$-hydroxy-11${\alpha}$, 13-dihydrozaluzanin C (4), desacylcynaropicrin (5), 3${\beta}$-hydroxy-8${\alpha}$-epoxymethylacriloiloxy-4(15), 10(14), 11(13)-trien-guaian-6, 12-olide (6), and kandavanolide (7). Compounds 1 and 2 showed significant cytotoxicity against five cultured human tumor cell lines with $ED_{50}$ values ranging from $0.23{\~}1.72\;{\mu}g/mL$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.430-441
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• 2021

Sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) are terpenoids found mostly in the Asteraceae family and are known for their strong cytotoxic properties, among other notable bioactivities. Some STLs, such as artemisinin and mipsagargin, are already commercially available and are used to fight malaria and tumor growth, respectively. Although the interest in STLs was low for a time after their discovery due to their toxic nature, past decades have witnessed a soar in STL-based studies focused on developing novel pharmaceuticals via chemical diversification. These studies have reported several promising physiological effects for STLs, including lower toxicity and diverse modes of action, and have demonstrated the antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antiviral, antiprotozoal, phytotoxic, antitumor, and antiaging properties of STLs. STLs are mainly considered as valuable natural molecules for the fight against cancer since most STLs induce death of different types of cancer cells, as shown by in vitro and in vivo studies. Some STLs can also enhance the effects of drugs that are already in clinical use. Medicinal chemists use various STLs as starting molecules for the synthesis of new STLs or different bioactive compounds. All these developments warrant future research to provide more information on STLs, their bioactivities, and their mode of action. In this context, this review has summarized the bioactivities of some of the widely studied STLs, namely artemisinin, costunolide, thapsigargin, arglabin, parthenolide, alantolactone, cynaropicrin, helenalin, and santonin.