Five new triterpenoids isolated from mastic: Structural identification and their anti-inflammatory activity

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Mastic, a resin from Pistacia lentiscus, is a source of bioactive compounds.
• Oleanane-type triterpenoids are known for diverse biological activities.
• Understanding the anti-inflammatory potential of mastic-derived triterpenoids is crucial for drug discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize novel oleanane-type triterpenoids from mastic.
• To investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of these compounds.
• To evaluate their potential as therapeutic agents for inflammatory conditions.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and structure elucidation using spectroscopic methods (NMR, MS) and X-ray crystallography.
• Network pharmacology and molecular docking for predicting anti-inflammatory potential.
• In vitro anti-inflammatory assays using lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells.

Main Results:

• Five new oleanane-type triterpenoids were identified, including a rare furan-containing compound (1) and nor-triterpenes (3-5).
• Compounds 3 and 4 demonstrated significant inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production.
• The IC50 values for compounds 3 and 4 (8.68 ± 2.58 μM and 5.00 ± 3.06 μM) were lower than that of dexamethasone (9.93 ± 1.17 μM).

Conclusions:

• The novel triterpenoids from mastic possess significant anti-inflammatory activity.
• Compounds 3 and 4 show promising therapeutic potential for treating inflammatory diseases.
• Further research into these compounds could lead to new anti-inflammatory drug development.