and Studies of Metabolic Activation of Marrubiin, a Bioactive Constituent from .

Marrubiin, a furanoid compound, is a well-known diterpenoid lactone isolated from , which displays a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects and potential hepatotoxicity. Considering that marrubiin contains a structural alert, furan ring, metabolic activation may be one of the major metabolic pathways, and the reactive metabolite may be involved in the hepatotoxicity. The present study was carried out to investigate the bioactivation mechanism of marrubiin in rats and humans.