Abstract
Laetiporus sulphureus is a popular medicinal mushroom with diverse pharmacological activities in many Asian countries. Four new triterpenoids, named sulphurenoids A-D (1-4), along with 12 known analogues, were isolated from the fruits of L. sulphureus. Nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) techniques were used for the investigation of the chemical structure of isolated compounds. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of three new compounds (2-4) was tested for NO production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The IC50 values of isolated triterpenoids ranged from 14.3 to 42.3 μM, which were more effective than the positive control (IC50 for minocycline was 73.0 μM). The experimentally obtained anti-inflammatory activity data of L. sulphureus are in agreement with its traditional use.