Shi-De Luo

Triterpenes from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook

Two new friedelane-type triterpenes, tripterfrielanons A (1) and B (2), along with six known triterpenoids, friedelin (3), canophyllal (4), canophyllalic acid (5), 3-oxo-29-hydroxyfriedelane (6), wilforlide A (7), wilforlide B (8), have been isolated from the EtOH extract of the roots of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f. Compounds 4, 5, 6 were isolated for the first time from this plant. The new triterpenes 1 and 2 exhibited mild cytotoxic activity against human Hela cell lines in vitro. The assay showed the IC50 of 1 and 2 were 8.5 and 25 μg/mL, respectively.

New pregnane saponins from Ecdysanthera rosea and their cytotoxicity

Two new pregnane saponins elucidated as ecdysantheroside A (1) and ecdysantheroside B (2) and six known compounds (3-8) based on spectral data (MS, IR, 1D and 2D NMR) were isolated from the stem bark of Ecdysanthera rosea. The cytotoxicity against six cell lines of these compounds was tested by MTT assay. The results revealed that compounds 5 and 7 showed cytotoxicity against all the cell lines. Compound 2 showed cytotoxicity against cells A549, MDA435, HepG2, and HUVEC, while compound 4 showed cytotoxicity against cells A549, CEM, and HUVEC. Compound 6 had cytotoxicity against the others except cell HepG2.

Triterpenoid glycoside from Cimicifuga racemosa

One new triterpene glycoside, cimiracemoside (I), and 14 known triterpene glycosides have been isolated from the rhizome extracts of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). On the basis of spectral and chemical evidence, the structure of the new compound was elucidated to be 12β-acetoxycimigenol-3-O-β-d-xylopranoside (1), and the known compounds were identified to be 25—acetylcimigenol xyloside (2), cimigenol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (3), acetin (4), 27-deoxyacetin (5), cimicifugoside H-1 (6), 23-O-acetylshengmanol 3-O-β-d-xylopranoside (7), foetidinol-3-O-β-xyloside (8), cimicifugoside H-2 (9), 25-O-methylcimigenol xyloside (10), 21-hydroxycimigenol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (11), 24-epi-7,8—didehydrocimigenol-3-xyloside (12), cimidahurinine (13), cimidahurine (14) and cimifugin (15). The compounds 1–5, 14, and 15 showed weak antibacterial activities in the agar diffusion assay.

New Cytotoxic Steroid from Stachyurus imalaicus var. himalaicus

A phytochemical study of the ethanolic extract of Stachyurus imalaicus var. himalaicus was undertaken and as a result a new polyoxygenated steroid, named stachsterol ((20S)-20, 25-dihydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one, 1) and three known ecdysteroids, 20-hydroxyecdysone (2), 20-hydroxyecdysone-20, 22-monoacetonide (3) and polypodine B-20,22-monoacetonide (4), were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including UV, NMR, MS and HR-MS. The purified product 1 was found to have in vitro cytotoxic activity against human Hela cell lines with an IC50 value of 2.5 microg/mL. This is the first time that phytoecdysteroids have been found in the genus Stachyurus.