Studies on the chemical constituents of Euphorbia officinalis from the Xisha Islands
The investigation team of the “Nanfeng Special Project” of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs found that Euphorbia Linn., a perennial herb, Euphorbia atoto is a characteristic plant on the islands and reefs of the the Xisha Islands, and is the dominant plant in the coastal zone of the Yongle Islands and Xuande Islands. The the Xisha Islands are rich in medicinal plant resources, among which Euphorbia has relatively many medicinal plants, which can be used as heat clearing herbs. Local residents along the coast of Hainan use seaside Euphorbia as a heat clearing and detoxifying medicine to treat diseases such as dysentery and diarrhea. In the preliminary experiments, it was found that the crude extract of Seaside Euphorbia has good anti-inflammatory activity and can inhibit the production of NO by mouse monocyte RAW264.7 induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro (with an inhibition rate of 83.97% at a concentration of 200 μ g/mL). In order to understand the main active substances of Seaside Euphorbia, this study investigated the chemical composition, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, and cytotoxic activity of the aboveground parts of Seaside Euphorbia.

On the basis of previous research, we studied the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of Euphorbia hainanensis. A total of 18 compounds including sesquiterpenes, brass, steroids, triterpenes, peptides, and other structural types were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract, and an anti-inflammatory active compound 6 β – hydroxycinnamolactone was discovered (2). The 18 compounds obtained in this study were all isolated for the first time from Euphorbia benthamiana. Except for compounds 10, 13, 14, and 17, the other compounds were also isolated for the first time in the Euphorbia genus. Compound 1 is a new natural product, and the relevant nuclear magnetic resonance data of this compound were supplemented in this article. Through this study, we have gained a basic understanding of the main chemical components of the ethyl acetate extract of Seaside Euphorbia, providing a scientific basis for its folk medicinal use.