ABSTRACT
The genus Bupleurum is represented in Spain by 23 species, of which B. salicifolium subsp. acciphyllum and B. hadiense are endemic plants from the Canary Islands, and B. barceloi and B. bourgaei are endemic plants from the Baleares Islands and the Spanish Southeast, respectively. Flavonol glycosides 61 through 64 and C-glycoside 65 have been characterized in extracts of B. acutifolium and B. gibraltaricum, respectively; 64 is a new natural product. The ethanolic extract of B. gibraltricum root has been shown to possess an anti-inflammatory activity. The compound responsible for this activity was a glycoside of saikogenin G containing three sugars. The essential oil of B. fruticescens showed a potent anti-inflammatory activity when it was administered orally, at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg, against carrageenin-induced hindpaw edema. The antispasmodic activity of the essential oils of B. gibraltaricum and B. fruticosum was determined in rat uterus preparations using acetylcholine and oxytocin as agonists.
