Chemical Structure and Antiviral Activity of Aerial Part from Laggera pterodonta

Abstract

Laggera pterodonta has been used in a variety of practical applications in natural medicine. Preliminary studies showed that the hexane extract of L. pterodonta exhibited antiviral activity against herpes simplex type I and II. Subsequent bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation five compounds with three triterpenes and two steroids from aerial part of L. pterodonta. Among the two compounds, taraxeryl acetate exhibited antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type II and taraxerone exhibited weak antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus (type I and II) while two steroids exhibited no effect on herpes simplex virus. To our knowledge, taraxeryl acetate is the first natural product from which an effect on the HSV response has been reported.