An infusion prepared from the aerial parts of Salvia amarissima Ortega inhibited the enzyme protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B) (IC₅₀~88 and 33 μg/mL, respectively). Phytochemical analysis of the infusion yielded amarisolide (1), 5,6,4′-trihydroxy-7,3′-dimethoxyflavone (2), 6-hydroxyluteolin (3), rutin (4), rosmarinic acid (5), isoquercitrin (6), pedalitin (7) and a new neo-clerodane type diterpenoid glucoside, named amarisolide G (8a,b). Compound 8a,b is a new natural product, and 2–6 are reported for the first time for the species. All compounds were tested for their inhibitory activity against PTP-1B; their IC₅₀ values ranged from 62.0 to 514.2 μM. The activity was compared to that of ursolic acid (IC₅₀ = 29.14 μM). The most active compound was pedalitin (7). Docking analysis predicted that compound 7 has higher affinity for the allosteric site of the enzyme. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analyses of the essential oils prepared from dried and fresh materials revealed that germacrene D (15) and β-selinene (16), followed by β-caryophyllene (13) and spathulenol (17) were their major components. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to quantify amarisolide (1) in the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the infusion of S. amarissima.

Infusions and poultices prepared from the aerial parts of Baccharis heterophylla Kunth (Asteraceae) are widely used in Oaxaca (Mexico) for relieving painful and inflammatory complaints. Therefore, the antinociceptive potential of an aqueous extract (31.6–316 mg/kg, p.o.) and essential oil (30–177 µg/paw, i.pl.) of the plant was assessed using the formalin test. Both preparations inhibited the formalin-induced nociception response (100–316 mg/kg and 100–177 µg/paw, respectively) during the test’s second phase. Chemical analysis of the aqueous extract revealed that the major active components were chlorogenic acid (1), 3,4-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (2), 3,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (3), 4,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid (4), 3,5-di-O-(E)-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (5), apigenin (6), genkwanin (7), acacetin (8). Compounds 1–5 and 8 are new for B. heterophylla. A high-pressure liquid chromatographic method for quantifying chlorogenic acid (1) and di-caffeoylquinic acids 2–4 in the plant was developed and validated. Analyses of the essential oil and the headspace solid-phase microextraction products, via gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealed that the major volatiles were β-pinene, myrcene, D-limonene, β-caryophyllene, and α-caryophyllene, which have demonstrated antinociceptive properties.