ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIONS OF PENTACYCLIC TRITERPENES

Pentacyclic triterpenes (PTs) as aglycones of saponins have a wide dis tribution in plants, and many of them have been used as anti-inflammat ory remedies in folk medicine. This survey critically reviews the effe cts of PTs on proinflammatory mediator signalling pathways and data fr om experimental animal models and clinical trials. Because the knowled ge of their actions is far from being satisfactory a critical summary of the partly promising but mostly scattered and preliminary data migh t promote productive research on chances and risks of PTs. Antiprolife rative and anti-infectious actions and effects on intracellular cell s ignalling and hormone metabolism are beyond the scope of this short re view, although such effects might also contribute to the understanding of the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of aglycones.