Akihisa T, Yasukawa K, Kimura Y, Yamanouchi S, Tamura T
College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan.
Phytochemistry. 1998 May;48(2):301-5. doi: 10.1016/s0031-9422(97)01107-2.
A novel 3,4-seco-triterpene alcohol, named sasanquol, was isolated from the non-saponifiable lipid of sasanqua oil from the seeds of Camellia sasanqua. Its structure was established to be 3,4-seco-D:B-friedobacchara-4,21-dien-3-ol by spectroscopic methods. This is the first example of naturally occurring triterpene with a D:B-friedobaccharane skeleton. The 50% inhibitory dose of this compound against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear inflammation (1 microgram per ear) in mice was 0.4 mg per ear.