Chelidonine is the major alkaloid component of Chelidonium majus. Chelidonine is an isolate of Papaveraceae with acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (a nonspecific cholinesterase) inhibitory activity. It showed strong cytotoxicity in cancer cells. While several modes of death have been identified, most of anti-cancer attempts have focused on stimulation of cells to undergo apoptosis. Chelidonine seems to trigger multiple mechanisms in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. It induces both apoptosis and autophagy modes of cell death in a dose dependent manner. Alteration of expression levels of bax/bcl2, and dapk1a by increasing concentration of chelidonine approves switching the death mode from apoptosis induced by very low to autophagy by high concentrations of this compound. On the other hand, submicromolar concentrations of chelidonine strongly suppressed telomerase at both enzyme activity and hTERT transcriptional level. Long exposure of the cells to 50 nanomolar concentration of chelidonine considerably accelerated senescence. Altogether, chelidonine may provide a promising chemistry from nature to treat cancer. Chelidonine exhibits a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities Its biological activities and clinical applications have been extensively investigated. Especially the usage of chelidonine as an anticancer drug is very important lately. It also has profound inhibitory effects on airway inflammation, which means chelidonine can improve allergic asthma in mice and may also work for human medicine.

Niclosamide is an antihelminth used against tapeworm infections. It may act by the uncoupling of the electron transport chain to ATP synthase. The disturbance of this crucial metabolic pathway prevents creation of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), an essential molecule that supplies energy for metabolism. Niclosamide works by killing tapeworms on contact. Adult worms (but not ova) are rapidly killed, presumably due to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation or stimulation of ATPase activity. The killed worms are then passed in the stool or sometimes destroyed in the intestine. Niclosamide may work as a molluscicide by binding to and damaging DNA. Niclosamide is used for the treatment of tapeworm and intestinal fluke infections: Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm), Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (Fish Tapeworm), Fasciolopsis buski (large intestinal fluke). Niclosamide is also used as a molluscicide in the control of schistosomiasis. Niclosamide was marketed under the trade name Niclocide, now discontinued.

Asiatic acid is a triterpene aglycone originally found in Centella; it exhibits cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antihypertensive, anticancer, anti-fibrotic, and anti-osteoporotic activities. In vitro and in vivo, asiatic acid inhibits TGF-β1-induced and overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy, decreasing production of TGF-β1 and activation of NF-κB, ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK. In high fat diet-fed rats, asiatic acid decreases expression of NF-κB, p38 MAPK, IL-1β, ROS, IL-6, and TNF-α and increases activity of glutathione peroxidase and catalase, preventing hepatic steatosis. Additionally, asiatic acid inhibits L-NAME-induced hypertension, increasing levels of NO and improving vascular function. In multiple myeloma cells, this compound induces G2/M phase cell cycle arrest, decreases expression of FAK, and inhibits cell proliferation. Asiatic acid inhibits adipogenesis, suppresses activation of G3PDH, and modulates differentiation in bone marrow stromal cells. In animal models of fibrosis, this compound decreases tubular injury and fibroblast activation by suppressing activation of Smad2/3, regulating PPARγ activation, and decreasing levels of α-SMA and TGF-β1. Asiatic acid stimulates wound healing by increasing collagen production. Asiatic acid is considered to be the most therapeutically active ingredient of Madecassol, marketed in Korea as wound healing agent for traumatic or surgical wounds, burns, skin grafts, fistulas, abnormal retractile or decubitus scars, cutaneomucous lesions in ENT, gynaecology, ulcerous lesions in leprosy, striae distensae, cellulitis, varicose leg ulcers, haemorrhoid.

Since its first isolation in 1844, usnic acid has become the most extensively studied lichen metabolite and one of the few that are commercially available. Lichens belonging to usnic acid-containing genera have been used as crude drugs throughout the world. There are indications of usnic acid being a potentially interesting candidate for such activities as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, healing, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antiviral, larvicidal and UV protection. However, some studies reported the liver toxicity and contact allergy. Usnic acid reduced the production of Junin virus in infected Vero cells in a dependent dose manner, and 50% inhibition was obtained at an effective concentration (EC50) of 9.9 µM. Regarding the TCRV arenavirus, the effective concentration was 20.6 uM. The selectivity indexes (CC50/EC50) of usnic acid for JUNV and TCRV arenavirus were 6.8 and 3.2, respectively, indicating a specific antiviral activity against these viruses and not just a general consequence of its action on cellular toxicity.

Asiaticoside is a triterpene found in Centella that exhibits anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cognition enhancing, antipyretic, antioxidative, pro-angiogenic, anticancer chemotherapeutic, and chemopreventive activities. Asiaticoside inhibits melanogenesis by decreasing DNA binding by MITF; as a result, it is occasionally used in skin whitening treatments. Asiaticoside induces apoptosis, increases activation of caspase 3, decreases release of TNF-α and IL-1β, and suppresses tumor development and size in animal models of breast cancer. In animal models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, asiaticoside improves memory and learning deficits and decreases levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Additionally, asiaticoside decreases LPS-induced inflammation and fever, suppresses activity of myeloperoxidase, and increases activity of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in vivo. Asiaticoside exhibits significant wound healing activity in normal as well as delayed healing models, increasing cell migration, attachment, and growth in vitro. Asiaticoside is an active ingredient of Madecassol, marketed in Korea as wound healing agent for traumatic or surgical wounds, burns, skin grafts, fistulas, abnormal retractile or decubitus scars, cutaneomucous lesions in ENT, gynaecology, ulcerous lesions in leprosy, striae distensae, cellulitis, varicose leg ulcers, haemorrhoid..

Uzarigenin is a Na(+), K(+)-ATPase inhibitor; potential anticancer drug. Uzarigenin is a component of Uzara, which has been used for a long time in traditional medicine to treat diarrheal disorders, but the mode of action is not fully known. In Germany, Uzara (Stada, Bad Vilbel, Germany) is frequently used as over-the-counter preparation of the Uzara root, containing 40 mg glycosides/ml.

Zidovudine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) with activity against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1). Zidovudine is phosphorylated to active metabolites that compete for incorporation into viral DNA. They inhibit the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme competitively and act as a chain terminator of DNA synthesis. The lack of a 3'-OH group in the incorporated nucleoside analogue prevents the formation of the 5' to 3' phosphodiester linkage essential for DNA chain elongation, and therefore, the viral DNA growth is terminated. Zidovudine, a structural analog of thymidine, is a prodrug that must be phosphorylated to its active 5′-triphosphate metabolite, zidovudine triphosphate (ZDV-TP). It inhibits the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) via DNA chain termination after incorporation of the nucleotide analogue. It competes with the natural substrate dGTP and incorporates itself into viral DNA. It is also a weak inhibitor of cellular DNA polymerase α and γ. Zidovudine is used in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of human immunovirus (HIV) infections. Zidovudine is marketed as Retrovir.

Chelidonine is the major alkaloid component of Chelidonium majus. Chelidonine is an isolate of Papaveraceae with acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (a nonspecific cholinesterase) inhibitory activity. It showed strong cytotoxicity in cancer cells. While several modes of death have been identified, most of anti-cancer attempts have focused on stimulation of cells to undergo apoptosis. Chelidonine seems to trigger multiple mechanisms in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. It induces both apoptosis and autophagy modes of cell death in a dose dependent manner. Alteration of expression levels of bax/bcl2, and dapk1a by increasing concentration of chelidonine approves switching the death mode from apoptosis induced by very low to autophagy by high concentrations of this compound. On the other hand, submicromolar concentrations of chelidonine strongly suppressed telomerase at both enzyme activity and hTERT transcriptional level. Long exposure of the cells to 50 nanomolar concentration of chelidonine considerably accelerated senescence. Altogether, chelidonine may provide a promising chemistry from nature to treat cancer. Chelidonine exhibits a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities Its biological activities and clinical applications have been extensively investigated. Especially the usage of chelidonine as an anticancer drug is very important lately. It also has profound inhibitory effects on airway inflammation, which means chelidonine can improve allergic asthma in mice and may also work for human medicine.

Niclosamide is an antihelminth used against tapeworm infections. It may act by the uncoupling of the electron transport chain to ATP synthase. The disturbance of this crucial metabolic pathway prevents creation of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), an essential molecule that supplies energy for metabolism. Niclosamide works by killing tapeworms on contact. Adult worms (but not ova) are rapidly killed, presumably due to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation or stimulation of ATPase activity. The killed worms are then passed in the stool or sometimes destroyed in the intestine. Niclosamide may work as a molluscicide by binding to and damaging DNA. Niclosamide is used for the treatment of tapeworm and intestinal fluke infections: Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm), Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (Fish Tapeworm), Fasciolopsis buski (large intestinal fluke). Niclosamide is also used as a molluscicide in the control of schistosomiasis. Niclosamide was marketed under the trade name Niclocide, now discontinued.