Helenin Explained

Helenin is a phytochemical mixture found in many plant species, including the Inula helenium (elecampane) of the family Asteraceae. It is a mixture of two isomeric sesquiterpene lactones, alantolactone and isoalantolactone.

In 1895 the German scientists Julius Bredt and Wilhelm Posh extracted helenin from Inula helenium and determined its physical and chemical properties.^[1]

Natural sources

Alantolactone occurs in the roots of Inula helenium and other Inula species.^[2]

Properties

Helenin can be extracted from the roots of Inula helenium using alcohol or other non-polar solvents to produce a mixture with a composition of about 40% alantolactone and 60% isoalantolactone.^[3]

Biological activity

Alantolactone has a variety of in vitro biochemical properties, including:

• induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in lung squamous cancer cells^[4]
• suppresses STAT3 activation^[5]
• has antiinflammatory effects by inhibiting chemokine production and STAT1 phosphorylation^[6]
• anti-fungal^[7]
• anti-microbial^[8]

Toxicity

Certain individuals have experienced contact dermatitis when exposed to alantolactone.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Book: Chemical Society (Great Britain). The collected works of Sir Humphry Davy ...: Discourses delivered before the Royal society. Elements of agricultural chemistry, pt. I. 1895. Smith, elder and Company. 555. 31 July 2015.
2. Book: Hoffmann. David. Medical Herbalism:The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. 2003. Health & Fitness. 978-1594778902. Google Books.
3. Xu. Renjie. Pharmacokinetic Comparison of Isoalantolactone and Alantolactone in Rats after Administration Separately by Optimization of an UPLC-MS2 Method. Journal of Chemistry . 2014 . 2014 . 1–8 . 10.1155/2014/354618 . free .
4. Zhao. Peng. Alantolactone Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest on Lung Squamous Cancer SK-MES-1 Cells. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology. 19 Jan 2015. 29. 5. 199–226. 10.1002/jbt.21685. 25597476. 10440798.
5. Chun. J. Alantolactone selectively suppresses STAT3 activation and exhibits potent anticancer activity in MDA-MB-231 cells.. Cancer Letters. 1 Feb 2015. 357. 1. 393–403. 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.11.049. 25434800.
6. Hye. Sun Lim. Alantolactone from Saussurea lappa Exerts Antiinflammatory Effects by Inhibiting Chemokine Production and STAT1 Phosphorylation in TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced in HaCaT cells. Phytotherapy Research. 17 Apr 2015. 29. 7. 1088–1096. 10.1002/ptr.5354. 25881570. 5196219. free.
7. Alejandro. Barreroa. New sources and antifungal activity of sesquiterpene lactones . Fitoterapia . 2000 . 71 . 60–64 . 20095126 . 66 . 10.1016/s0367-326x(99)00122-7.
8. O'Shea. S. In vitro activity of Inula helenium against clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains including MRSA . British Journal of Biomedical Science . 2009 . 66 . 4 . 186–9. 20095126 . 10.1080/09674845.2009.11730271.
9. Stampf. J. Allergic contact dermatitis due to sesquiterpene lactones. A comparative study of human and animal sensitivity to alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactone and derivatives . The British Journal of Dermatology . August 1978 . 99 . 2 . 163–9 . 698105 . 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1978.tb01977.x. 73218116.