Novel triterpenoids and glycosides from durian exert pronounced anti-inflammatory activities

- Twenty-seven phytochemicals, including 11 new molecules, were isolated from durian.
- Most of the isolated compounds showed pronounced anti-inflammatory activities.
- Durian shell extracts could serve as anti-inflammatory agents.

Durian, known for its abundant nutrition, is a delicious fruit from Southeast Asia with increasing popularity worldwide. In this study, a series of chromatographic methods and bioactivity assays were applied to identify major compounds from durian shells. Two new triterpenoids, two new phenolics, and seven new glycoside esters, as well as sixteen known compounds, were isolated and identified. Anti-inflammatory activities were assayed and evaluated for the isolated compounds. Most of the isolated compounds exhibited pronounced inhibitory activities on lipopolysaccharides-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 cells. The results indicated that durian shells could serve as anti-inflammatory agents for functional food or medicinal use. This study additionally provided motivation for the ecological protection of durian shells.