Two new megastigmane, cucumegastigmanes I (1) and II (2), together with a known megastigmane, (+)-dehydrovomifoliol (3), and five other known compounds were isolated from the leaves of Cucumis sativus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated from spectroscopic analysis and their absolute stereochemistries were determined in detail using the chemical conversion and a modified Mosher's method.

Ethanol extracts (AF‐06, 07, and 08, 10 mg/kg) of Brazilian propolis were administered orally to cutaneously herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1)‐infected mice three times daily on days 0 to 6 after infection to evaluate their efficacies against HSV‐1 infection and significantly limited development of herpetic skin lesions. AF‐07 and 08 significantly reduced virus titers in brain and/or skin on day 4 without toxicity, but AF‐08 had no anti‐HSV‐1 activityin vitro. AF‐06 and 08 significantly enhanced delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) to inactivated HSV‐1 antigen in infected mice. Oral AF‐08‐administration significantly augmented interferon (IFN)‐γproduction by HSV‐1 antigen from splenocytes of HSV‐1‐infected mice, while direct exposure of splenocytes of infected mice to AF‐06 significantly elevated IFN‐γproductionin vitro. Thus, AF‐08 might have components that are activein vivoeven after oral administration and those of AF‐06 might be active onlyin vitro. Because DTH is a major host defense for intradermal HSV‐1 infection, augmentation of DTH response by AF‐06 or 08, directly or indirectly, respectively, may contribute to their efficacies against HSV‐1 infection. In addition, AF‐06 and 07 possibly contain anti‐HSV‐1 components contributing to their efficacies. Such biological activities of Brazilian propolis may be useful to analyze its pharmacological actions.