Sesquiterpenes (Image by SHI Yanping et al.)

Researchers from Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have made an invention relates to a method for preparing active sesquiterpenes with the functions of cancer resistance and bacterium inhibition from ligularia fischeri. The invention is used for preparing sesquiterpenoids with the structural formula as follows by using the feverfew ligularia fischeri as raw materials.

The sesquiterpenes display inhibition activity to the growth of cancer cells of oral epitheliums and obviously inhibit the growth of staphylococcus aureus and beta hemolytic streptococcus.

The method can be used for quickly preparing a great amount of sesquiterpenes by adopting the combination of solvent extraction and the purification of a column chromatography through one-step chemical reaction. The preparation method has the advantages of high extracting transformation rate, low cost, convenient operation and high purity of products and is suitable for the development of standard substances and medicaments.

Ligularia fischeri is widely distributed in most parts of China. Its root and rhizome, used as aster tagasagomontanus, can warm lung, keep the adverse qi flowing downward, relieve cough and pain, eliminate phlegm, regulate the flow of vital energy, invigorate the circulation of blood, induce dieresis, stop bleeding, etc. Previous research indicates that sesquiterpenes display inhibition activity to the growth of cancer cells of oral epitheliums and can be used as antitumor drug. In addition they obviously inhibit the growth of staphylococcus aureus and beta hemolytic streptococcus. Thus, they are expected to prevent and cure various inflammation caused by the above mentioned two bacteria.

The researchers have received a Chinese invention patent for the technique on August 31, 2011. The patent is No. ZL200810184480.6.