Pentosalen (Imperatorin) is a bioactive furanocoumarin and a phytochemical that has been isolated from Urena lobata L. (Malvaceae), Angelica archangelica, etc. Pentosalen has a wide range of potent pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, antitumor, anticonvulsant, acute neurotoxic effects and abirritation. Pentosalen possesses notable anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and decreasing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase. Pentosalen selectively targets gastric cancer cells without causing much damage to normal cells. Pentosalen was identified from a Bioactive Molecules library in a high throughput screening experiment for inhibitors of the phosphodiesterase PDE4. It displays a significant preference for PDE4Bover PDE4A.

Harpagide and harpagoside are two iridoid glycosides existing in many medicinal plants. They are believed to be the main bioactive compounds related to the anti-inflammatory efficacy of these plants. In vitro Harpagide has shown cytotoxic activity against tumor cell lines A431, HeLa and MCF7. Harpagide emerged as a leishmanicidal agent. Harpagide is common in nature and is known to possess anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, it has been shown that the hydrolysed products of harpagoside and harpagide have more pronounced anti-inflammatory activity when compared to the unhydrolysed compounds.

Isoacteoside (2-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl 6-O-caffeoyl-3-O-(α-l-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside), a phenylethanoid glycoside isomeric to acteoside, exists in various plants, such as Cistanches spp., Castilleja spp. and Plantago spp. It exerts wide range of pharmacological activity including anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective actions.