Lignans are phenolic compounds that are very wide-spread in the plant kingdom. Lignans
have been found in a large number of species belonging to more than sixty families
of vascular plants and have been isolated from different parts of plants; roots and
rhizomes, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds and resins [2–4] and show a wide variety of
biological activities: antitumour, anti-HIV, immunosuppressive, hipolipidemic, antifungal,
phytoestrogenic and antiasthmatic activities [1–3]. From a medical point of view,
the most important compounds today are etoposide, teniposide and etopos, semisynthetic
derivatives of podophyllotoxin which are used in cancer chemotherapy. Generally, aryltetralin
types of lignans have been reported in the section Syllinum [5–8]. In Turkey, genus Linum is represented by 39 species. L. pamphyllicum is member of section Syllinum in a part of our ongoing study on the Linum species we identified podophyllotoxin and 6- methoxypodophyllotoxin from this species.
Acknowledgement: This research was supported by The University of Ankara-Biotechnology Institute
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60: 3–35. 2. Row, R. (1978), Chemistry of Lignans, Andhra University Pres, Waltair,
India. 3. Castro, M.A. et al. (1996), Phytochemistry, 41: 995–1011. 4. Ward, R.S. (1999), Nat. Prod.Rep. 16: 75–96.
5. Smolly, T., Wichers, H. et al. (1998), Phytochemistry 48: 975–979. 6. Konuklugil, B., (1996), Fitoterapia, 67: 379–381.
7. Konuklugil, B., (1997), Fitoterapia, 68: 183–184. 8. Konuklugil, B., (1997), Biochem.
Syst. Ecol. 25: 75–79. 9. Konuklugil, B. (1998), Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 26: 795–796.
