| Abstract
| - The antiviral activity in the roots of Rubia cordifoliawas examined, and three naphthohydroquinones, furomollugin (1), mollugin (2), andrubilactone (3), were isolated from it.Compounds 1 and 2 strongly suppressed thesecretion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg),both with IC50 = 2.0 μg/mL, in human hepatoma Hep3Bcells while having little effect on theviability of the cells. Evaluation of structurally relatedderivatives of 1 and 2 revealed thata6-hydroxy group and a pyran or furan ring contribute to thissuppressive effect.
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