Isolation of an Active Principle from Torilis Fructus and Its Pharmacological Activities

We reported that the hexane fraction of Torilis Fructus have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Therefore, in order to isolate the active compound, the hexan fraction of Torilis Fructus was chromatographed on silica gel column. The subfraction of hexane fraction was crystallized as colorless stout needles. The chemical structure of this compound was verified to be torilin through m.p., UV, IR, GC-MS, and NMR spectral data. In pharmacological tests, torilin exhibited strong anticarrageenan activity at the dose of 90 and 270 mg/kg, p.o. in rats, and it had inhibitory effect on the vascular permeability at the dose of 30 and 90 mg/kg, p.o. in mice. Torilin showed potent inhibition of leucocyte emigration in CMC-pouch at the dose of 3 and 9 mg/rat, s.c. Torilin have the analgesic effect at the dose of 30, 90 and 270 mg/kg, p.o. in both of the acetic acid- and phenyl-p-benzoquinone-induced writhing syndrome. It also increased the pain threshold at the dose of 30, 90 and 270 mg/kg, p.o. in the tail pressure method and the Randall-Selitto method. Torilin did not show a hypothermic action at the dose of 30 and 90 mg/kg, p.o. in mice. The acute toxicity of torilin was very weak: the LD$\_$50/ value was more than 5000 mg/kg, p.o. and 2000 mg/kg, Lp. in mice. From the above mentioned results, it was suggested that torilin had potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in animals.