Studies of the active substances in herbs used for hair treatment. II. Isolation of hair regrowth substances, acetosyringone and polyporusterone A and B, from Polyporus umbellatus Fries

Fractionation of the 50% ethanol extract of Polyporus umbellatus Fries by column chromatography on Amberlite XAD-2, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and octadecyl silica gel (ODS) (C18)) monitored by a hair-regrowth activity assay, afforded three active principles, 1, 2 and 3. The structures of 1, 2 and 3 were determined as acetosyringone, polyporusterone A, and polyporusterone B by comparison of their spectral data with that of authentic samples, respectively. The effects of several compounds related to acetosyringone, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde or polyporusterone A on hair regrowth were also investigated.