Isolation and Identification of Medicinal Metabolites from Cichorium intybus

Abstract

Cichorium intybus (Chicory) has been used medicinally by a variety of cultures dating back thousands of years. Historically, it has been most commonly used as a diuretic, a hepatoprotective agent, and an anti-­‐inflammatory agent as well as being a popular additive in coffee. Some of the compounds linked to the observed medicinal properties of chicory are β-­‐sitosterol (wound healing), 8-­‐deoxylactucin (anthelmintic and anti-­‐inflammatory), and cichoric acid (anti-­‐viral). In this project, the medicinal components of chicory were further investigated for activity against Trypanosoma brucei, Herpes Simplex Virus Type-­‐I, and inflammation. Utilizing a bioassay-­‐guided fractionation approach, two compounds, 8-­‐deoxylactucin and lactupicrin, were isolated and identified as the active components against T. brucei. A third compound (11,13-­‐dihydrolactucin) was also identified but not isolated, and thus no conclusions could be made on its activity.