# Wedelolactone, a natural coumestan with multiple pharmacological effects

**Authors:** Shanshan Han, Minghe Li, Longfei Yang, Xinming Zhuang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1670032 · 2026-01-28

## TL;DR

This review summarizes the various health benefits of wedelolactone, a natural compound from Wedelia Chinensis, including its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and protective effects.

## Contribution

The paper compiles recent findings on wedelolactone's pharmacological effects, highlighting its potential for treating multiple diseases.

## Key findings

- Wedelolactone shows anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial activities.
- It has antitumor and anti-osteoporosis effects and protects against organ damage.
- The compound demonstrates potential for use in treating various diseases.

## Abstract

Natural products, especially those from medicinal plants, have been increasingly attractive to researchers. Wedelolactone (WL) is a natural coumestan that was first isolated from Wedelia Chinensis. The past decades have seen an increase in the pharmacological reports on this compound, which show that WL possesses anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antitumor and anti-osteoporosis activities, as well as protective effects on organ damages. This review integrates the recent progresses available on its pharmacological effects both in vitro and in vivo, and highlights its potential uses in multiple diseases.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** Wedelolactone (PubChem CID 5281813), WL (PubChem CID 323786)
- **Diseases:** osteoporosis (MONDO:0005298)
- **Species:** Wedelia chinensis (taxon 318065)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** osteoporosis (MESH:D010024), inflammatory (MESH:D007249)
- **Chemicals:** coumestan (MESH:C505898), WL (MESH:C051122)

## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12891205/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12891205