Search

Gentiopicroside (1) is the major secoiridoid glucoside constituent of Cephalaria kotschyi roots. The mutagenicity, DNA-damaging capacities, and clastogenicity of this molecule were evaluated by the Salmonella typhimurium mutagenicity assay (Ames test) on tester strains TA97a, TA98, TA100, and TA102, the alkaline comet assay, and the micronucleus assay on CHO cells. All tests were performed with and without the metabolization mixture, S9 mix. In the Ames test, the mutagenicity of 1 was limited to TA102 without S9 mix (2.3 rev microg(-1)). The genotoxicity was more evident without S9 mix (0.78 OTMchi(2) units microg(-1) mL) than with the metabolic mixture (0.16 OTMchi(2) units microg(-1) mL) with the comet assay. Similarly, the clastogenicity without S9 mix was 0.99 MNC microg(-1) mL and 0.38 MNC microg(-1) mL with S9 mix in the micronucleus assay. The interaction of 1 with DNA is probably through the involvement of oxidative DNA lesions.

A secoiridoid aglycone with an atypical skeleton, named fagraldehyde (1), together with several known secoiridoids (gentiopicroside (2), sweroside (3), and swertiamarin (4)) were isolated from the bark and leaves of Fagraea fragrans collected in Cambodia. The conformations of 1 were evaluated on the basis of molecular modeling and NOESY correlations. A hypothetical biogenesis of fagraldehyde was proposed to explain the unusual skeleton. Compound 1 was weakly active in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum.

A new sulfated triterpene glycoside with the sulfate group located in an unusual position in the carbohydrate moiety, was isolated from the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of Bupleurum rigidum. This compound was identified by a combination of chemical degradation and spectral methods as 3beta,16beta,23-trihydroxy-13, 28-epoxyolean-11-en-3beta-yl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)[4-sulfate- beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-beta-D-fucopyranoside (sandrosaponin I) (1). In addition, the known compound 3beta,16beta, 23-trihydroxy-13, 28-epoxyolean-11-en-3beta-yl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)[beta-D-glu copyranosyl-(1-->3)]beta-D-fucopyranoside (2) was isolated in the present investigation.

A new terpenoid glycoside, marounoside [1], was isolated from the bark of Nauclea diderrichii and characterized by 1D and 2D nmr spectroscopy. The aglycone, a terpene with an unusual carbon skeleton, is linked to glucose, which, in turn, is connected to an apiofuranose residue.