Three sesquiterpenoids, xanthatin (
1), xanthinosin (
2), and 4-oxo-bedfordia acid (
3) were isolated from
Xanthium strumarium as inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis in activated microglia (IC
50 values: 0.47, 11.2, 136.5 μM, respectively). Compounds
1 and
2 suppressed the expression of iNOS and COX-2 and the activity of NF-κB through the inhibition of LPS-induced I-κB-
![greek small letter alpha greek small letter alpha](http://www.sciencedirect.com/scidirimg/entities/204e.gif)
degradation in microglia.