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Camellia oleifera C. Abel has been widely cultivated in China, and a group of bioactive constituents such as triterpeniod saponin have been isolated from C. oleifera C. Abel. In the current study, a new triterpeniod saponin was isolated from the EtOH extract of the roots of C. oleifera C. Abel, named as oleiferoside W, and the cytotoxic properties of oleiferoside W were evaluated in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. At the same time the inducing apoptosis, the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ), the up-regulation of related pro-apoptotic proteins, such as cleaved-PARP, cleaved-caspase-3, and the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2/Bax were measured on oleiferoside W. Furthermore, the function, inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis, of oleiferoside W could be reversed by N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In conclusion, our findings showed that oleiferoside W induced apoptosis involving mitochondrial pathway and increasing intracellular ROS production in the A549 cells, suggesting that oleiferoside W may have the possibility to be a useful anticancer agent for therapy in lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new 20α-ursane-type triterpenoids (1–2) were isolated from the roots ofIlex cornuta, along with three known triterpenoids (3–5). The structures of compounds1–2were determined as 3β, 23-dihydroxy-20α(H)-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (1), 3β,19α,23-trihydroxy-20α(H)-urs-12-en-28-oic acid 3β-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside (2), on the basis of hydrolysis and spectral evidence, including 1D- and 2D-NMR and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analyses. These pure isolates (1–5) were tested for their cytotoxic activities by MTT assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cytotoxic activity of 36 saponins isolated from roots ofPulsatilla chinensis(Bunge) Regel against the human cancer cell lines (A549, SGC-7901) and the human hepatic cell line (HL-7702) was tested by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Saponins1–14showed considerable cytotoxic activity, whereas saponins15–36showed no significant activity, which suggested that a free carboxylic group located at C-28 of aglycon is essential for their cytotoxic activity. Moreover, the analysis of structure–activity relationships also suggested that the oleanane-type saponins showed better cytotoxic activity than lupane-type saponins, and the length and linkage of glycolic chain attached to C-3 of aglycon displayed an important effect to the potent cytotoxicity. In conclusion, oleanolic acid 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)]-α-l-arabinopyranoside (5) exhibited the most significant cytotoxic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the dietary spice turmeric. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of curcumin against eggs, cercariae, pre-adults, and adults of Schistosoma japonicum compared to praziquantel. After incubated by different concentration of curcumin or praziquantel in different time, the percent hatching rates of eggs, the percent dead rates of cercariae, and the number of dead worms were observed. Curcumin showed time- and dose-dependent schistosomicidal effects on every life stages of S. japonicum. In addition, curcumin exhibited an optimal activity against the adult stage with no differential sensitivity between male and female worms and decreased motor activity of these worms without tegumental alterations. The promising in vitro effects on all stages of S. japonicum warrants further evaluation for the prophylactic and therapeutic values in the early and late schistosomiasis in field trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new C28 sterols with a cyclopentane ring at C-22 and 26, alkesterol A (1) and alkesterol B (2), along with β-sitosterol (3), were isolated from the berries of Physalis pubeacens L. (cape gooseberry). The structures of the new compounds were established by HR-EI-MS, 1D and 2D (1H-1H COSY, HSQC, HMBC) NMR experiments. The known compound was identified by comparison of spectral data with published references. The two new compounds showed some cytotoxic activities by MTT assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]