The anti-allergic activity of bryonolic acid (1) isolated from the cultured cells of Luffa cylindrica L. (Cucurbitaceae) was compared with that of glycyrrhetinic acid (2), the aglycone of glycyrrhizin from licorice. Compound 1, when administered to rats intraperitoneally at a dose of 600 mg/kg,
Cell suspension cultures of Luffa cylindrica, Citrullus lanatus, and related cucurbitaceous plants accumulate large quantities of bryonolic acid (3 beta-hydroxy-D:C-friedoolean-8-en-29-oic acid) [1], an acidic, pentacyclic triterpene found exclusively in the roots of the intact plants. This compound