Abstract
By means of a bioassay-oriented fractionation of the CO2 extract of Calendula flowers, the triterpenoids are shown as the most important anti-inflammatory principles
of the drug. Among them, the faradiol monoester appears to be the most relevant principle
for the activity of the drug, due to its quantitative prevalence. The unesterified
faradiol, not present in the extract, is the most active of the tested compounds and
equals indomethacin in activity, whereas the monools ψ-taraxasterol, lupeol, taraxasterol,
and β-amyrin are less active than the free diol. The anti-inflammatory activity of
different CO2 extracts is proportional to their content of faradiol monoester, which can be taken
as a suitable parameter for the quality control of Calendula preparations.
Key words
Calendula officinalis - Asteraceae - sesquiterpene alcohols - faradiol - anti-inflammatory
activity
