it has been discovered that leaf extracts of w . somnifera possess excellent selective cox - 2 inhibitory activity . the isolation and characterization of several novel withanolides and a number of known withanolides from w . somnifera leaf extracts is disclosed . the inhibitory effects of withanolides isolated from the leaves on cyclooxygenase enzymes and their antioxidant activities are also disclosed . four novel withanolide glycosides and a withanolide ( herein all referred to as “ withanolide ”) have been isolated from the leaves of withania somnifera . the structures of the novel compounds were elucidated as physagulin d ( 1 → 6 )- β - d - glucopyranosyl -( 1 → 4 )- β - d - glucopyranoside ( 1 ), 27 - o - β - d - glucopyranosyl physagulin d ( 2 ), 27 - o - β - d - glucopyranosyl viscosalactone b ( 3 ), 4 , 16 - dihydroxy - 5β , 6β - epoxyphysagulin d ( 4 ), and 4 -( 1 - hydroxy - 2 , 2 - dimethylcyclo - propanone )- 2 , 3 - dihydrowithaferin a ( 5 ) on the basis of 1d -, 2d - nmr and ms spectral data . in addition , seven known withanolides withaferin a ( 6 ), 2 , 3 - dihydrowithaferin a ( 7 ), viscosalactone b ( 8 ), 23 , 24 - dihydrowithaferin a ( 9 ), sitoindoside ix ( 10 ), physagulin d ( 11 ), and withanolide iv ( 12 ) were isolated . these withanolides were assayed to determine their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase - 1 ( cox - 1 ) and cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ) enzymes and lipid peroxidation . the withanolides tested , except compound 9 , showed selective cox - 2 enzyme inhibition ranging from 9 – 40 % at 100 μg / ml . compounds 4 , 10 and 11 also inhibited lipid peroxidation by 40 , 44 and 55 %, respectively . the w . somnifera leaf extract purchased was identical to the methanol extract of fresh leaves harvested from w . somnifera plants grown in the greenhouses of bioactive natural products and phytoceuticals laboratory at michigan state university . the extract was purified by preparative tlc and by hplc to yield pure withanolides 1 – 12 . compound 1 was isolated as an amorphous powder and its molecular formula was determined as c 46 h 73 o 20 by hrfabms as indicated by an [ m + h ] + ion at m / z 945 . 4682 ( calc . 945 . 4695 ). compound 1 showed absorption bands in its ir spectrum at 3406 and 1698 cm − 1 , respectively , corresponding to an — oh and an α , β - unsaturated lactone moieties . three anomeric protons doublets at δ 4 . 22 , 4 . 20 and 4 . 15 were correlated to three anomeric carbons at δ 103 . 0 , 103 . 9 and 104 . 8 , respectively , in its hmqc spectrum and suggested that compound 1 contained a triglycosidic moiety . apart from the glycosidic signals , compound 1 exhibited signals for 28 carbons . the signals at 80 . 1 , 32 . 8 , 160 . 4 , 123 . 6 , and 168 . 6 ppm were assigned to a six - membered ring α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone moiety in the molecule and the olefinic carbons at δ 139 . 0 and 125 . 5 were assigned to c - 5 and c - 6 . the dept spectrum of compound 1 showed the presence of three methine carbons at δ 74 . 9 , 73 . 6 , 80 . 1 and a methylene carbon at δ 57 . 6 and were indicative of c - 1 , c - 3 , c - 22 and c - 27 oxygenated carbons . the singlets at δ 0 . 60 , 0 . 90 , and 1 . 90 and a doublet at 0 . 92 ppm in its 1 h nmr were assigned to c - 18 , 19 , 28 and 21 , respectively . an olefinic proton at δ 5 . 50 was placed at c - 6 as it showed correlations with this carbon at 125 . 5 ppm in its hmqc . the c - 6 ′ and c - 4 ″ of the sugar units in compound 1 appeared at 70 and 77 . 8 ppm , respectively . these carbons normally appear at around 62 and 71 ppm , respectively , in glucose that are not conjugated . the attachment of one of the glucose units to c - 3 of the aglycone was confirmed by the hmbc correlations ( fig2 a ) observed between h - 1 ′ and δ 4 . 22 and c - 3 at 73 . 6 ppm . other hmbc correlations significant to glucose linkages in compound 1 ( fig2 a ) were h - 1 ″ at δ 4 . 20 to c - 6 ′ at δ 70 . 0 and h - 1 ′″ at δ 4 . 15 to c - 4 ″ at 77 . 8 ppm , respectively . acid hydrolysis of compound 1 gave only d - glucose and the aglycone . the 1 h - nmr spectral data of the aglycone was identical to the published spectral data of sominone ( atta - ur - rahman ; jamal , s . a .,; choudhary , m . i . heterocycles 34 : 689 – 698 ( 1992 )). also , the 13 c nmr data of compound 1 was compared to sominone , obtained as a hydrolysis product of physagulin d ( 11 ) in our laboratory . therefore , glucose linkages in compound 1 were established as [ β - d - glucopyranosyl -( 1 → 6 )- β - d - glucopyranosyl -( 1 → 4 )- β - d - glucopyranoside ]. the mass spectral fragments obtained at m / z 783 , 621 and 459 for compound 1 in its fabms showed the successive loss of three glucose units which further confirmed the proposed structure of compound 1 as physagulin d ( 1 → 6 )- β - d - glucopyranosyl -( 1 → 4 )- β - d - glucopyranoside . the ir spectrum of compound 2 , isolated as an amorphous powder , showed absorption bands at 3407 , 1696 cm − 1 were due to the hydroxyl and an α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone carbonyl functionalities . the mass spectrum of 2 displayed an [ m + h ] + ion at m / z 783 . 4168 ( calc . 783 . 4188 ), which was consistent with the molecular formula as c 40 h 63 o 15 . the 1 h nmr signals appeared as singlets at δ 0 . 76 , 1 . 01 and 2 . 11 , respectively , were assigned to three methyl groups in 2 . it also showed one methyl doublet at δ 1 . 22 , c - 27 methylene protons as doublets , integrated for one proton each , at δ 4 . 60 and 4 . 46 , two oxymethine multiplets at δ 4 . 50 and 3 . 83 and an olefinic proton at δ 5 . 49 . 13 c nmr of 2 exhibited signals for an α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone carbonyl at δ 168 . 6 , two oxygenated methines at δ 74 . 9 and 73 . 6 and olefinic carbons at δ 139 . 1 and 125 . 4 . the nmr spectra of compound 2 were similar to that of 1 , with a major difference due to the absence of one of the sugars as indicated by the lack of anomeric proton and carbon signals at δ 4 . 20 and 104 . 8 , respectively . acid hydrolysis of 2 gave d - glucose and sominone ( atta - ur - rahman , et al ., heterocycles 34 : 689 – 698 ( 1992 )), identified by comparing the tlc with hydrolysis products of 1 . compound 2 gave a molecular ion at m / z 783 , which is 162 amu less than that of 1 , suggested that its probable structure was simonene diglucoside . one of the glucose units in compound 2 was assigned at c - 3 based on the hmbc correlations ( fig2 b ) observed between h - 3 at δ 3 . 83 and c - 1 ′ at δ 102 . 7 . the second glucose unit in compound 2 was assigned at c - 27 as this carbon at δ 63 . 5 was shifted to downfield by 5 . 9 ppm when compared to the chemical shift of similar carbon in 1 at δ 57 . 6 . the linkage in compound 2 was further supported by its hmbc spectral correlations ( fig2 b ) observed between c - 27 at δ 63 . 5 and h - 1 ″ at δ 4 . 31 . the placement of sugar units at c - 3 and c - 27 was further confirmed by comparison of 13 c nmr data of a - ring and lactone ring carbons in 2 with that of physagulin d ( 11 ) and sitoindoside ix ( 10 ). therefore , structure of 2 was concluded as 27 - o - β - d - glucopyranosyl physagulin d . the hrfabms of compound 3 , obtained as an amorphous powder , revealed an [ m + na ] + peak at m / z 673 . 3200 ( calc . 673 . 3224 ) and corresponded to a molecular formula of c 34 h 50 o 12 . the ir spectrum of compound 3 indicated the presence of hydroxyl , α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone and a six - membered ring ketone in the molecule as indicated by absorption bands at 3425 , 1700 , 1652 cm − 1 , respectively . the 1 h nmr spectrum of compound 3 displayed signals for three oxygenated methine protons at δ 3 . 66 , 3 . 33 and 4 . 44 , four methyls at δ 0 . 67 , 0 . 98 , 1 . 18 , and 2 . 1 and oxymethylene protons at δ 4 . 59 and 4 . 45 . it also showed a doublet for an anomeric proton at δ 4 . 31 and a broad singlet at 3 . 15 ppm , which correlated to the anomeric carbon at δ 102 . 7 and an epoxide carbon at δ 56 . 6 in its hmqc , respectively . the 13 c nmr spectrum showed signals due to carbonyl carbon of a keto group at δ 210 . 2 ; an epoxide moiety at δ 63 . 8 and 56 . 6 and for a six - membered ring α , β - unsaturated lactone moiety at δ 78 . 9 , 29 . 6 , 159 . 1 , 122 . 5 and 167 . 4 . the spectral data suggested that compound 3 was closely related to viscosalactone b ( 8 ). hydrolysis of compound 3 gave viscosalactone b ( 8 ) and d - glucose as confirmed by spectral studies . this indicated that compound 3 was a viscosalactone glucoside . analyses of its hmbc spectrum ( fig2 c ) suggested that the glucose moiety was attached to c - 27 as this carbon at δ 61 . 6 correlated with the anomeric proton at 4 . 31 ppm . linkage of one of the glucose units to c - 27 was also supported by the downfield shift of c - 27 by 5 . 3 ppm as compared to its aglycone viscosalactone b ( 9 ), which appeared at δ 57 . 1 . the spectral evidence confirmed the structure of compound 3 as 27 - o - β - d - glucopyranosyl viscosalactone b ( 3 ). compound 4 was obtained as an inseparable mixture with compound 12 and the ratio was about 2 : 1 . the hrfabms displayed an [ m + h ] + ion at m / z 669 . 3456 ( calc . 669 . 3486 ) which corresponded to the molecular formula c 34 h 53 o 13 . the base peak at m / z 507 , produced by the loss of 162 amu from the molecular ion , indicated . that compound 4 contained a mono glycoside . 1 h - and 13 c nmr assignments for compound 4 were unambiguously assigned by supporting evidences from dept , hmqc and hmbc spectral studies . apart from the sugar carbons , 13 c nmr and dept spectra displayed signals for four methyl groups at δ 11 . 9 , 13 . 6 , 15 . 0 and 20 . 0 , α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone carbonyl at δ 168 . 5 and oxygenated methines at δ 79 . 0 , 75 . 6 , 73 . 6 , and 59 . 4 . the molecular ion at m / z 669 , 48 amu higher than that of physagulin d ( m / z 621 ), indicated that compound 4 contained three additional oxygen functionalities in its structure . one such oxygen functionality , assigned as an epoxide at c - 5 and c - 6 , resonated at δ 65 . 5 and 59 . 4 , respectively in its 13 c nmr spectrum . the second and third oxygen functionalities were determined as hydroxyl groups and were placed at c - 4 and c - 16 as confirmed by hmbc experiments ( fig2 d ). comparison of 1 h and 13 c nmr data of 4 with physagulin d indicated that the sugar moiety was glucose and it was linked to c - 3 of the molecule . the linkage of glucose unit to c - 3 was also substantiated by hmbc correlations ( fig2 d ) observed between c - 3 at δ ′ 73 . 6 and h - 1 ′ at δ 4 . 38 . therefore , the structure of 4 was confirmed as 4 , 17 - dihydroxy - 5β , 6β - epoxyphysagulin d . the ir spectrum of compound 5 , isolated as an amorphous powder , showed absorption bands for an — oh and a δ - lactone carbonyl group at 3434 cm − 1 and 1704 cm − 1 , respectively . the hrfabms gave an [ m + h ] + ion at m / z 555 . 3335 , which analyzed for c 33 h 47 o 7 ( calc . 555 . 3323 ). the 13 c nmr and dept spectra of compound 5 showed the presence of six methyl , nine methylene , nine methine and nine quaternary carbons . the 1 h nmr spectrum of 5 showed signals for four methyl groups at δ 0 . 69 , 0 . 98 , 1 . 18 , and 2 . 07 . two doublets at δ 4 . 35 and 4 . 28 was assigned to two protons of a methylene at c - 27 . in addition , the proton signal appeared at δ 3 . 19 was assigned to h - 4 . the 13 c nmr spectrum of compound 5 was similar to the spectrum of dihydrowithaferin a ( 7 ) except that 5 had additional carbon signals at δ 210 . 1 , 52 . 1 , 72 . 8 , and 25 . 0 . the corresponding proton signals in 5 were at δ 1 . 35 ( 6h , s ) and 3 . 70 ( 1h , s ). these additional carbon signals accounted for a 2 , 2 - dimethylcyclopropanone moiety in 5 , which was supported by both ms and dept spectral data . analyses of the hmbc spectrum revealed that 2 , 2 - dimethylcyclopropanone moiety in 5 was linked via c - 4 hydroxyl in dihydrowithaferin a ( 7 ) ( fig2 e ). the fragments at m / z 472 [ m + h — c 5 h 7 o ] + and 471 [ m + h — c 5 h 8 o ] + in its fabms also supported the proposed structure for compound 5 . the withanolides isolated from the leaves were evaluated for their cyclooxygenase ( cox ) enzyme inhibitory activity using prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase isozymes - 1 ( cox - 1 ) and pghs - 2 ( cox - 2 ). aspirin , ibuprofen , naproxen , celebrex , and bextra were . used as positive controls and they showed 61 , 53 , 79 , 23 and 25 % of cox - 1 ; 7 , 59 , 95 , 98 and 99 % of cox - 2 inhibition , respectively ( fig3 a ). vioxx inhibited cox - 2 enzyme by 80 % and had no cox - 1 enzyme inhibition . the novel withanolides 1 – 5 were tested at 50 , 100 and 250 μg / ml and all other withanolides isolated from the leaves were tested at 100μg / ml concentration . compounds 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , and 12 gave 39 , 27 , 35 , 13 , 14 and 23 %, respectively , of cox - 2 enzyme inhibition at 100 μg / ml ( fig3 b ). a dose dependent inhibition of cox - 2 ( fig3 ) was observed for compounds 1 – 5 and the activity varied considerably among withanolides at concentrations tested . the cox - 2 activity exhibited by compounds 1 – 5 were 15 , 9 , 7 , 5 and 15 %, respectively , at 50 μg / ml ( fig4 ). it is important to note that the withanolides tested did not inhibit cox - 1 enzyme even at 500 μg / ml concentration . however , the activity remained the same for all compounds when the concentration was increased from 100 to 250 pg / ml in cox - 2 assays . the lack of increased cox - 2 activity at higher concentrations is probably due to the solubility of these withanolides under assay conditions . the reduced cox - 2 activity of compounds 3 and 10 as compared to 8 and 5 might be due to the glycosylation at c - 27 in 3 and 10 . compound 9 , which is lacking a double bond between c - 23 and c - 24 , showed neither cox - 1 nor cox - 2 activities . this indicated that the double bond in α , β - unsaturated δ - lactone moiety is critical for the cox - 2 inhibitory activity . the ability of withanolides to inhibit lipid peroxidation in a model system was used to determine whether they could act as antioxidants . the assay was conducted by using large unilamellar vesicles and 2 + peroxidation was initiated by adding fe 2 + . except for compounds 4 , 7 , 10 and 11 , other withanolides tested did not inhibit the lipid peroxidation ( fig5 ). the monoglycosides 4 , 7 , 10 , and 11 inhibited 40 , 5 , 44 and 55 %, respectively , of lipid peroxidation in our assay system . in vitro results on the cox - 2 enzyme inhibitory activities of withanolides provided some scientific support for the use of w . somnifera leaf preparation as a folk remedy for the treatment of inflammation ( thakur , r . s ., et al ., major medicinal plants of india ; ed . ; central institute of medicinal and aromatic plants : lucknow , india , p . 531 ( 1989 )). this invention also represents the first report of the cox - 2 enzyme inhibitory activity for this group of compounds . over expression of cox - 2 enzyme was observed in tumor cells and hence selective cox - 2 inhibitors can prevent tumor progression . anecdotal reports indicate that the withanolides exhibit anticancer activity ( thakur , r . s ., et al ., major medicinal plants of india ; ed . ; central institute of medicinal and aromatic plants : lucknow , india , p . 531 ( 1989 )). therefore , these compounds can be useful as templates for the development of therapeutics for cancer chemoprevention . since both roots and leaves of w . somnifera contain similar withanolides , consumption of w . somnifera root powder or leaf extract as a dietary supplement can decrease the inflammatory pain , the risk of cancer formation and progression of tumors at levels which suppress the cox - 2 enzyme . general . 1 h nmr spectra were recorded on a 500 mhz vrx spectrometer . 13 c nmr spectra were obtained at 125 mhz . chemical shifts were recorded in either cdcl 3 or cd 3 od . hmbc was optimized for j = 8 . 0 hz . the silica gel used for mplc was merck silica gel 60 ( 35 – 70 μm particle size ). hrfab and fab mass spectra were acquired on jeol hx - 110 double focusing mass spectrometer operating in the positive mode . preparative hplc was performed on a recycling preparative hplc ( japan analytical industry co . model lc - 20 ) with tandem c 18 column ( jaigel , 10 μm , 20 × 250 mm ) at the flow rate of 3 ml / min . all organic solvents and standards used were acs reagent grade . yields of the withanolides are expressed in percentage dry weight of the leaves . plant material . the extract ( h - 341 ) was purchased from phytomyco research corporation , greenville , nc and was prepared as follows : the shade dried and ground leaves of w . somnifera were extracted sequentially with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol ( 1 : 1 , v / v ), methanol and water to obtain three fractions . all fractions were then pooled , filtered and dried under reduced pressure . the resulting extract was stored at − 20 ° c . until use . isolation of withanolides . the combined crude extract from phytomyco research corporation ( 4 g ) was stirred with n - hexane ( 500 ml ) and filtered . the hexane insoluble portion ( 3 . 2 g ) was chromatographed on mplc using chcl 3 and meoh ( v / v ) under gradient condition . the fractions collected were i ( 600 mg chcl 3 : meoh , 9 : 1 ), ii ( 500 mg , chcl 3 : meoh , 8 : 2 ), iii ( 1 . 2 g , chcl 3 : meoh , 7 : 3 ), and iv ( 200 mg , chcl 3 : meoh , 1 : 1 ). repeated mplc of fraction i using hexane - etoac ( 1 : 1 , v / v ) yielded pure compounds 6 ( 120 mg , 0 . 078 %), 7 ( 50 mg , 0 . 032 %) and a fraction 1 ( 4 . 0 mg ). this fraction was further purified by ptlc ( hexane - etoac , 6 : 4 , v / v ) to yield the pure compound 9 ( 2 . 1 mg , 0 . 0014 %). purification of fraction ii by preparative hplc using meoh — h 2 o ( 1 : 1 , v / v ) afforded compound 10 ( 20 mg , 0 . 013 %) at 19 . 5 min and fraction 2 ( 50 mg ) at 24 . 2 – 28 . 1 min . it was further purified on hplc by using meoh — h 2 o ( 4 : 6 , v / v ) and gave compound 11 ( 40 mg , 0 . 026 %) at 32 . 96 min . similarly , fraction iii was purified by prep . hplc ( meoh — h 2 o , 6 : 4 , v / v ) and yield pure compound 12 ( 15 mg , 0 . 0097 %) at 112 min and fractions 3 ( 950 mg ) at 20 – 45 min and 4 ( 16 mg ) at 140 – 160 min . fraction 3 was further purified by hplc ( meoh — h 2 o , 6 : 4 , v / v ) to afford compounds 8 ( 200 mg , 0 . 13 %) and 5 ( 10 mg , 0 . 0065 %) at 66 . 8 and 78 . 6 min , respectively , and 700 mg of sucrose at 132 min . fraction 4 was subjected to hplc ( meoh — h 2 o , 7 : 3 , v / v ) yielded compound 2 ( 12 mg , 0 . 0078 %) at 81 min . the fraction iv was purified by hplc ( meoh — h 2 o , 7 : 3 ) and collected fractions 5 ( 13 mg ) at 20 – 30 min and fraction 5 ( 30 mg ) at 30 . 1 – 66 min . the fraction 5 was purified by hplc ( meoh — h 2 o , 7 : 3 , v / v ) to yield compound 3 ( 8 . 5 mg , 0 . 0055 %) at 57 . 9 min . fraction 5 was further purified by hplc using meoh — h 2 o ( 6 : 4 , v / v ) and afforded pure compound 1 ( 10 . 5 mg , 0 . 0068 %) at 59 . 3 min and a mixture of compounds 4 and 12 at 96 . 4 min ( 5 . 0 mg , 0 . 0032 %). compound 1 . colorless , amorphous powder ; ir ν max ( kbr ) 3406 , 1698 , 1650 , 1383 , 1076 , 1042 cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ) δ 0 . 60 ( 3h , s , me - 18 ), 0 . 90 ( 3h , s , me - 19 ), 0 . 92 ( 3h , d , j = 7 . 0 hz , me - 21 ), 1 . 90 ( 3h , s , me - 28 ), 3 . 96 ( 1h , m , h - 3 ), 4 . 15 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 hz , h - 1 ′″), 4 . 20 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 hz , h - 1 ″), 4 . 22 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 hz , h - 1 ′), 4 . 30 ( 1h , t , j = 2 . 3 hz , h - 1 ), 4 . 35 ( 2h , br s , h - 27 ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , dt , j = 13 . 0 , 3 . 4 hz , h - 22 ), 5 . 50 ( 1h , br . d , j = 5 . 5 hz , h - 6 ); 13 c nmr data ( table 1 ); fabms m / z 945 ( m + h + ), 783 ( m + h + - glucose ), 621 ( m + h + - 2 × glucose ), 459 ( aglycone ); hrfabms m / z 945 . 4682 ( m + h + ; calcd for c 46 h 73 o 20 , 945 . 4695 ). acid hydrolysis . compounds 1 – 5 each 1 mg and 11 ( 5 mg ) were dissolved separately in 6 % hcl and heated under reflux for 3 hours . this solution was neutralized with 1n naoh and extracted with etoac . the etoac extract was concentrated and the aglycone was characterized by spectral experiments . the aqueous solution was concentrated and analyzed for sugars . it was determined that only d - glucose was present in the aqueous portion . compounds 6 – 12 . the structures of compounds 6 – 12 were derived as withaferin a ( 6 ) ( anjaneyulu , a . s . r ., et al ., indian j . chem . sect . b . 36 : 161 – 165 ( 1997 )); 2 , 3 - dihydrowithaferin a ( 7 ) ( anjaneyulu , a . s . r ., et al ., indian j . chem . sect . b . 36 : 161 – 165 ( 1997 )); viscalactone b ( 8 ) ( pelletier , s . w ., et al ., heterocycles 15 : 317 – 320 ( 1981 )); 23 , 24 - dihydrowithaferin a ( 9 ) ( kirson , i ., et al ., tetrahedron 26 : 2209 – 2219 ( 1970 )); sitoindoside ix ( 10 ) ( ghosal , b ., et al ., ind . j . nat . prod . 4 : 12 – 13 ( 1988 )); physagulin d ( 11 ) ( shingu , k ., et al ., chem . pharm . bull . 40 : 2088 – 2091 ( 1992 )); and withanolide iv ( 12 ) ( matsuda , m ., et al ., bioorg . med . chem . 9 : 1499 – 1507 and references cited therein ( 2001 )) by detailed 1 h and 13 c nmr spectral experiments . the spectral data of these compounds were identical to their respective published spectral data . cd analysis . cd spectra for compounds 1 – 5 were recorded on a jasco , model j - 710 , cd - ord spectrometer in meoh under the following conditions : scan mode ( wave length ), band width ( 0 . 5 nm ), sensitivity ( 50 m deg ), response ( lsec ), wave length range ( 200 – 400 nm ), step resolution ( 1 nm ), scan speed ( 100 nm min − ), and accumulation ( 1 ). the cd maximum or minimum ( δε ) observed for compounds 1 – 5 were : 1 ( c 0 . 001 , meoh ) δε + 73 . 7 ( 257 ); 2 ( c 0 . 0005 , meoh ) δε + 15 . 4 ( 262 . 5 ); 3 ( c 0 . 001 , meoh ) δε + 4 . 7 ( 261 ); 4 ( c 0 . 0005 , meoh ) δε + 61 . 6 ( 260 ) and 5 ( c 0 . 001 , meoh ) δε + 9 . 8 ( 260 ). cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibitory assay . cox - 1 enzyme was prepared from ram seminal vesicles and cox - 2 enzyme was isolated from insect cells cloned with human pghs - 2 enzyme . the inhibitory effects of test compounds on cox - 1 and - 2 were measured by monitoring the initial rate of o 2 uptake using an oxygen electrode ( instech laboratories , plymouth meeting , pa ) attached to a biological oxygen monitor ( yellow spring instrument , inc ., yellow spring , ohio .) at 37 ° c . the enzymes were diluted ( 1 : 1 ) with tris buffer ( ph 7 , 10 – 15 μl ) and the test compounds ( 100 μg / ml , 10 μl ) dissolved in dmso were added to the assay mixture composed of 3 ml of 0 . 1 m tris hcl , ph 7 , 1 mmol phenol and 85 μg of hemoglobin . the mixture was incubated for 2 – 3 min and reaction was initiated by the addition of arachidonic acid ( 10 μl of 1 . 64 μl m solution ). the instantaneous inhibition was measured by using quick log data acquisition and control computer software ( strawberry tree inc ., sunnyvale , calif ., usa ). positive controls aspirin , ibuprofen , naproxen were tested at 180 , 2 . 1 and 2 . 5 μg / ml , respectively , and celebrex , vioxx and bextra were tested at 1 . 67 μg / ml . dmso was used as solvent control ( wang , h ., et al ., j . nat . prod . 62 : 294 – 296 ( 1999 )). the results are shown in fig3 a and 3b . fig4 shows the results with withanolides 1 to 5 . antioxidant activity . large unilamellar vesicles ( liposome suspension ) were prepared according to the published procedure ( ramsewak , r . s ., et al ., phytomedicine 7 : 303 – 308 ( 2000 ). the final assay volume was 2 ml , consisting of 100 μl hepes buffer ( 50 mm hepes and 50 mm tris ), 200 μl 1m nacl , 1 . 64 ml of n 2 - sparged water , 20 μl of test sample or dmso and 20 μl of liposome suspension . the peroxidation was initiated by the addition of 20 μl of fecl 2 . 4h 2 o ( 0 . 5 mm ). the fluorescence was monitored at 0 , 1 , 3 and every 3 min up to 21 min using a turner model 450 digital fluorometer . the decrease of relative fluorescence intensity over the time indicated the rate of peroxidation . the percentage of inhibition was calculated with respect to dmso control . all compounds were tested at 100 βg / ml and the positive controls bha , bht and tbhq were tested at 10 μm . the results are shown in fig5 . in pharmaceutical compositions , the withanolide is inhibitory at a dosage of 1 to 1 , 000 micrograms per milliliter or gram . in a preferred embodiment , one or more of the withanolides for treating a patient are provided to the patient at an inhibitory dose in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . as such , the withanolides are processed with pharmaceutical carrier substances by methods well known in the art such as by means of conventional mixing , granulating , coating , suspending and encapsulating methods , into the customary preparations for oral or rectal administration . thus , withanolide preparations for oral application can be obtained by combining one or more of the anthraquinones with solid pharmaceutical carriers ; optionally granulating the resulting mixture ; and processing the mixture or granulate , if desired and / or optionally after the addition of suitable auxiliaries , into the form of tablets or dragee cores . suitable pharmaceutical carriers for solid preparations are , in particular , fillers such as sugar , for example , lactose , saccharose , mannitol or sorbitol , cellulose preparations and / or calcium phosphates , for example , tricalcium phosphate or calcium hydrogen phosphate ; also binding agents , such as starch paste , with the use , for example , of maize , wheat , rice or potato starch , gelatine , tragacanth , methyl cellulose , hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and / or polyvinylpyrrolidone , esters of polyacrylates or polymethacrylates with partially free functional groups ; and / or , if required , effervescent agents , such as the above - mentioned starches , also carboxymethyl starch , cross - linked polyvinylpyrrolidone , agar , or alginic acid or a salt thereof , such as sodium alginate . auxiliaries are primarily flow - regulating agents and lubricating agents , for example , silicic acid , talcum , stearic acid or salts thereof , such as magnesium stearate or calcium stearate . dragee cores are provided with suitable coatings , optionally resistant to gastric juices , whereby there are used , inter alia , concentrated sugar solutions optionally containing gum arabic , talcum , polyvinylpyrrolidone , and / or titanium dioxide , lacquer solutions in aqueous solvents or , for producing coatings resistant to stomach juices , solutions of esters of polyacrylates or polymethacrylates having partially free functional groups , or of suitable cellulose preparations such as acetylcellulose phthalate or hydroxypropyl - methylcellulose phthalate , with or without suitable softeners such as phthalic acid ester or triacetin . dyestuffs or pigments may be added to the tablets or dragee coatings , for example for identification or marking of the various doses of active ingredient . withanolide preparations comprising one or more of the anthraquinones which can be administered orally further include hard gelatine capsules , as well as hard or soft closed capsules made from gelatine and , if required , a softener such as glycerin or sorbitol . the hard gelatine capsules can contain one or more of the withanolides in the form of a granulate , for example in admixture with fillers such as maize starch , optionally granulated wheat starch , binders or lubricants such as talcum , magnesium stearate or colloidal silicic acid , and optionally stabilizers . in closed capsules , the one or more of the withanolides is in the form of a powder or granulate ; or it is preferably present in the form of a suspension in suitable solvent , whereby for stabilizing the suspensions there can be added , for example , glycerin monostearate . other withanolide preparations to be administered orally are , for example , aqueous suspensions prepared in the usual manner , which suspensions contain the one or more of the anthraquinones in the suspended form and at a concentration rendering a single dose sufficient . the aqueous suspensions either contain at most small amounts of stabilizers and / or flavoring substances , for example , sweetening agents such as saccharin - sodium , or as syrups contain a certain amount of sugar and / or sorbitol or similar substances . also suitable are , for example , concentrates or concentrated suspensions for the preparation of shakes . such concentrates can also be packed in single - dose amounts . suitable withanolide preparations for rectal administration are , for example , suppositories consisting of a mixture of one or more of the withanolides with a suppository foundation substance . such substances are , in particular , natural or synthetic triglyceride mixtures . also suitable are gelatine rectal capsules consisting of a suspension of the one or more of the withanolides in a foundation substance . suitable foundation substances are , for example , liquid triglycerides , of higher or , in particular , medium saturated fatty acids . likewise of particular interest are preparations containing the finely ground one or more of the withanolides , preferably that having a median of particle size of 5 μm or less , in admixture with a starch , especially with maize starch or wheat starch , also , for example , with potato starch or rice starch . they are produced preferably by means of a brief mixing in a high - speed mixer having a propeller - like , sharp - edged stirring device , for example with a mixing time of between 3 and 10 minutes , and in the case of larger amounts of constituents with cooling if necessary . in this mixing process , the particles of the one or more of the withanolides are uniformly deposited , with a continuing reduction of the size of some particles , onto the starch particles . the mixtures mentioned can be processed with the customary , for example , the aforementioned , auxiliaries into the form of solid dosage units ; i . e ., pressed for example into the form of tablets or dragees or filled into capsules . they can however also be used directly , or after the addition of auxiliaries , for example , pharmaceutically acceptable wetting agents and distributing agents , such as esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitans with higher fatty acids or sodium lauryl sulphate , and / or flavoring substances , as concentrates for the preparation of aqueous suspensions , for example , with about 5 - to 20 - fold amount of water . instead of combining the withanolide / starch mixture with a surface - active substance or with other auxiliaries , these substances may also be added to the water used to prepare the suspension . the concentrates for producing suspensions , consisting of the one or more of the withanolide / starch mixtures and optionally auxiliaries , can be packed in single - dose amounts , if required in an airtight and moisture - proof manner . in addition , the one or more withanolides can be administered to a patient intraperitoneally , intranasally , subcutaneously , or intravenously . in general , for intraperitoneal , intranasal , subcutaneous , or intravenous administration , one or more of the withanolides are provided by dissolving , suspending or emulsifying them in an aqueous or nonaqueous solvent , such as vegetable or other similar oils , synthetic aliphatic acid glycerides , esters of higher aliphatic acids or propylene glycol ; and if desired , with conventional additives such as solubilizers , isotonic agents , suspending agents , emulsifying agents , stabilizers and preservatives . preferably , the one or more withanolides are provided in a composition acceptable for intraperitoneal , subcutaneous , or intravenous use in warm - blooded animals or humans . for example , such compositions can comprise a physiologically acceptable solution such as a buffered phosphate salt solution as a carrier for the one or more anthraquinones . preferably , the solution is at a physiological ph . in particular embodiments , the composition is injected directly into the patient perfused through the tumor by intravenous administration . preparations according to the present invention comprise one or more of the withanolides at a concentration suitable for administration to warm - blooded animals or humans which concentration is , depending on the mode of administration , between about 0 . 3 % and 95 %, preferably between about 2 . 5 % and 90 %. in the case of suspensions , the concentration is usually not higher than 30 %, preferably about 2 . 5 %; and conversely in the case of tablets , dragees and capsules with the one or more of the anthraquinones , the concentration is preferably not lower than about 0 . 3 %, in order to ensure an easy ingestion of the required doses of the one or more withanolides . the treatment of patients with the preparations comprising one or more of the withanolides is carried out preferably by one or more administrations of a dose of the one or more withanolide which over time is sufficient to substantially inhibit cox - 2 . if required , the doses can be administered daily or divided into several partial doses which are administered at intervals of several hours . in particular cases , the preparations can be used in conjunction with or following one or more other therapies such as radiation or chemotherapy . the administered dose of the one or more withanolides is dependent both on the patient ( species of warm - blooded animal or human ) to be treated , the general condition of the patient to be treated , and on the type of disease to be treated . it is intended that the foregoing description be only illustrative of the present invention and that the present invention be limited only by the hereinafter appended claims .
cyclooxygenase - 2 enzyme inhibiting withanolides are described . in particular , compounds from withania somnifera are the preferred source of the withanolides , although they can be from other plant sources . the cox - 2 inhibition is selective over cox - 1 .