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A series of triterpenic acid amides were synthesized incorporating a 2-ethoxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid pharmacophore fragment. The synthesized compounds were tested for their ability to improve glycemic control and to counter lipid abnormalities in C57BL/6 mice placed on a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet. Of all tested compounds, the dihydrobetulonic derivative (16b) had the most pronounced effect in decreasing blood glucose levels, total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). All the synthesized compounds displayed a relatively safe profile in the animal studies carried out in this work.

The immunotropic activity of polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) of κ-carrageenan (κ-CGN) and chitosan (CH) of various compositions was assessed in comparison with the initial polysaccharides in comparable doses. For this, two soluble forms of PEC, with an excess of CH (CH:CGN mass ratios of 10:1) and with an excess of CGN (CH: CGN mass ratios of 1:10) were prepared. The ability of PEC to scavenge NO depended on the content of the κ-CGN in the PEC. The ability of the PEC to induce the synthesis of pro-inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) and anti-inflammatory (interleukine-10 (IL-10)) cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cell was determined by the activity of the initial κ-CGN, regardless of their composition. The anti-inflammatory activity of PEC and the initial compounds was studied using test of histamine-, concanavalin A-, and sheep erythrocyte immunization-induced inflammation in mice. The highest activity of PEC, as well as the initial polysaccharides κ-CGN and CH, was observed in a histamine-induced exudative inflammation, directly related to the activation of phagocytic cells, i.e., macrophages and neutrophils.

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