Background:Callus cultivation has the advantage of producing a large amount of tissue of a plant in a laboratory regardless of the environment, for extracting an active substance. In the present study, callus formation was induced in the leaves of the succulent plant Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem & Schult. After callus cultivation, anti-inflammatory activity tests were conducted, because leaves and stems of A. obesum have been reported to possess biological activity.Methods and Results:In order to induce callus formation, various concentrations of plant growth factors, such as kinetin, naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 6-benzyladenine (BA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were added to MS solid medium. The maximum callus proliferation was induced by mixed medium consisting of NAA (2㎎/ ℓ ) and BA (1㎎/ ℓ ). In addition, an elicitor was added to the medium under optimal conditions for initiating suspension culture. After suspension culturing, the activities of the callus extracts were compared and analyzed. The cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity tests revealed that the anti-inflammatory activity of the callus extract and the content of phenolic compounds were elevated after treatment of the callus culture with the elicitior.Conclusions: A. obesum callus might be considered as potential source of biologically active anti-inflammatory material.