Water-soluble extracts from the Mentha species M. aquatica L. and M. haplocalyx Briq., the hybrids M. x dalmatica L. and M. x verticillata L., the varieties M. arvensis var. japanensis [M. arvensis L. var. piperascens Holmes ex Christ] and M. spicata L. var. crispa Benth, and M. x piperita L. "Frantsila", M. "Morocco", and M. "Native Wilmet" cultivars were screened for potential antioxidative properties. These properties included iron(III) reduction, iron(II) chelation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, and the ability to inhibit iron(III)-ascorbate-catalyzed hydroxyl radical-mediated brain phospholipid peroxidation. Total phenol content and qualitative and quantitative compositional analyses of each extract were also made. The extracts demonstrated varying degrees of efficacy in each assay, with the M. x piperita "Frantsila" extract being better than the other extracts, except for ferrous iron chelation. With the exception of iron chelation, it appeared that the level of activity identified was strongly associated with the phenolic content.

In Finland, common wood-rotting ftmgi include Inonotus obilquus (Pers. ex Fr.) Pilat and Inonotus radiatus (Sow.: Fr.) Karst. I. obliquus has been used as a folk medicine and containes several almost identical lanostanetype triterpenes and some sterols. Since some of these compounds and extracts have been reported to have anti-tumour activity (1-3), we decided to investigate the constituents of L radiafus, which is closely related to L obliquus. The main sterol proved to be a C25 sterol, ergosterol peroxide, a known natural product which has been obtained from a wide variety of fungi, lichens, sponges, and some marine organisms (4-6). Ergos

A new triterpene, 3beta-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24-dien-21-al, was identified from INONOTUS OBLIQUUS. The structure was determined by IR, MS, (1)-NMR and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy and by comparing its (13)C-NMR spectra with the spectra obtained for lanosterol, inotodiol, trametenolic acid and methyl trametenolate.

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The present paper deals with the isolation and structural elucidation of a new triterpene diol with the lanostane skeleton. The structure of the compound was confirmed to be 3beta, 22-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11), 24-triene on the basis of spectroscopic data.

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