Triterpenes of Poria obliqua

Abstract

A water extract of the fungus Poria obliqua has been shown to possess tumor-inhibiting activity against two test tumors. Two triterpene alcohols were isolated from the hexane extract, one of which was identified as lanosterol. The second, named obliquol, C30H50O2, was shown to have two hydroxyl groups and two double bonds, one of which is inert to hydrogenation. Spectral data indicated that obliquol has a lanosterol-type skeleton. A possible structure for obliquol was considered but eliminated by mixed melting point comparison.