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Baicalensines A (1) and B (2) were isolated from the roots of Thalictrum baicalense and structurally characterized using spectroscopic data, 13C NMR calculations, and the CASE algorithm. Compound 1, representing a new class of alkaloid dimers, contains berberine conjugated to a ring-opened isoquinoline. Compound 2 is the first reported natural benzylisoquinoline bearing a formyl group at C-3. Plausible biosynthetic pathways are proposed. Compound 1 exerted moderate cytotoxicity against the Caco-2 and HL-60 cell lines.

Ocotillol (OT)-type ginsenosides, one subtype of ginsenosides, consist of a dammarane skeleton and a tetrahydrofuran ring. Most naturally-occurring OT-type ginsenosides exist in Panax species, particularly in Panax quinquefolius, which may be attributed to the warm and humid climate of its native areas. Till now, merely 28 types of naturally-occurring OT-type ginsenosides have been isolated. In contrast, semi-synthesized OT-type ginsenosides are attracted considerable attentions. These ginsenosides can be obtained through oxidation and cyclization of side chains of dammarane-type ginsenosides, and other methods, which may change their physical and chemical properties and further improve their bioavailabilities. It is also notable that the pharmacological activities of ginsenosides are closely related to the stereoisomers caused by the configuration at C-20. Semi-synthesis of OT-type ginsenosides can facilitate our understanding of the biosynthesis, transformation and metabolism of OT-type ginsenosides in the body. This review will systematically summarize the research progress on naturally-occurring and semi-synthetic OT-type ginsenosides, which provides a theoretical basis for their bioactivity-guided research.

Baicalensines A (

Eight phenolic compounds including five glucuronides were isolated from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Ijinskaja, which is used as a source of tea. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic methods. The results of biological assay showed that compounds 1 and 5 had good activities against HIV-1 induced cytopathic effects in C8166 lymphocyte at non-cytotoxic concentrations, with EC50 values of 31.74 and 10.76 μM, and therapeutic index (TI) values of ＞13.02 and 25.46, respectively. Relationship between molecular structures and their bioactivities was discussed.

A low-molecular-weight polysaccharide named MCGP-L was extracted and purified from the roots of Mountain cultivated ginseng (

A new triterpenoid saponin named Anemonside

Inspired by the intriguing structures and bioactivities of dimeric alkaloids, 11 new thalifaberine-type aporphine-benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, thalicultratines A-K, a tetrahydroprotoberberine-aporphine alkaloid, thalicultratine L, and five known ones were isolated from the roots of Thalictrum cultratum. Their structures were defined on the basis of NMR and HRESIMS data. The antiproliferative activities of compounds 1-17 were evaluated against human leukemia HL-60 and prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Most alkaloids showed potent cytotoxicity against selected cancer cells. Preliminary SARs are discussed. The most active new compound (3), with an IC50 value of 1.06 μM against HL-60 cells, was selected for mechanism of action studies. The results revealed that compound 3 induced apoptosis and arrested the HL-60 cell cycle at the S phase with the loss of mitochondria membrane potential. The nuclear morphological Hoechst 33258 staining assay was also carried out, and the results confirmed apoptosis.

One new triterpene glycoside, asiaticoside I (

Five previously undescribed monoterpenoid indole alkaloids were isolated from the roots of Gelsemium elegans. Their structures with absolute configurations were elucidated by HRESIMS, X-ray diffraction, ECD spectra, and molecular modeling. 19,20-Epoxyhumantenine is a humantenine-type alkaloid with an epoxypropyl group at the C-20 position, (4R)-19-oxo-gelsevirine N4-oxide is a gelsemine-related alkaloid, and gelsedethenine is a gelsedine-type alkaloid with a butenyl group at the C-20 position. Moreover, 10,11-dimethoxy-N1-demethoxy-gelsemamide is an open-loop indole alkaloid and 11-demethoxy-gelsemazonamide is an aromatic azo-linked dimeric indole alkaloid. Among the five alkaloids, (4R)-19-oxo-gelsevirine N4-oxide and 10,11-dimethoxy-N1-demethoxy-gelsemamide exhibited significant inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, with IC50 values of 6.18 ± 1.07 and 12.2 ± 1.02 μM, respectively.

Two new drimane-type sesquiterpenoid ethers of isocitric acid, cryptoporic acids N (1) and O (6), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Cryptoporus sinensis. Their structures were established by means of spectroscopic methods, including 1D- and 2D-NMR. The cytotoxic activity against a panel of cell lines (A549, MCF-7, PC-3, and PANC-1) was evaluated for all cryptoporic acid derivatives 1–12 isolated.

Four new drimane-type sesquiterpenoid ethers of isocitric acid, named cryptoporic acids J–M, were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Cryptoporus sinensis, together with six known cryptoporic acids. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. Among them, cryptoporic acid D showed strong inhibition against nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophages with an IC50 of 45.8±3.6 μM, comparable to the positive control of hydrocortisone (IC50 of 40.6±2.5 μM).

Phenolic compounds were separated from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Ijinskaja and their bioactivities were evaluated through an in vitro PTP1B inhibitory assay. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract has resulted in the isolation of a naphthoquinone derivative, (1R, 2R, 4R)-1,2,4-trihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-naphthalene-1-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, named cyclonoside A, and a lactone, (4R, 5S, 6R)-8,9,10-trihydroxy-4-[3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl]-1,6-dioxaspiro[4,5]decan-2-one, named cyclospirolide, along with 10 known phenolic compounds: quercetin-3-O-α- d -glucuronide, quercetin-3-O-β- d -glucuronide, myricetin-3-O-β- d -glucuronide, 1-caffeoylquinic acid, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid, 5-hydroxynaphthalene-1, 4-di-O-β- d -glucopyranoside and piceid. The structures of these compounds were established by means of spectroscopic methods including extensive 2D NMR techniques and chemical evidence. Among all the compounds, 1, 2, 4, 5, 10 and 11 showed strong inhibition against PTP1B, with IC50 values ranging from 1.922 ± 0.480 to 10.50 ± 2.67 μg/mL. The results suggested that the extract from this plant could be used as a potential source for functional food ingredient with anti-obesity.

Two new oleanolic acid-type triterpenoid saponins, raddeanosides R22 and R23 (1 and 2, resp.), together with four known saponins were isolated from the rhizome of Anemone raddeanaRegel. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as oleanolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(12)[β-D-glucopyranosyl(14)]-α-L-arabinopyranoside (1) and oleanolic acid 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(13)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(12)[β-D-glucopyranosyl(14)]-α-L-arabinopyranoside (2). The four known compounds were identified as oleanolic acid 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside (3), oleanolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(14)-α-L-arabinopyranoside (4), hederasaponin B (5), and hederacholchiside E (6) on the basis of chemical and spectral evidences. Compound 4 is reported for the first time from the Anemone genus, while the other three known compounds have been already found in this plant.

A new triterpenoid saponins, raddeanoside R19 (1) was isolated from the rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel. The effects of raddeanoside R19 on superoxide generation in human neutrophil were evaluated. The compound suppressed the superoxide generation induced by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and arachidonic acid (AA) in a different concentration-dependent manner.

Two novel triterpenoids, (2α,3α)-3-{[4-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-xylopyranosyl]oxy}-2,23-dihydroxy-30-methoxy-30-oxoolean-12-en-28-oic acid (1) and (2α,3α)-2,23,30-trihydroxy-3-[(β-D-xylopyranosyl)oxy]olean-12-en-28-oic acid (2) were isolated from Portulaca oleracea L., and they both showed weak cytotoxic activity assayed with the MTT method.

AIM To study the chemical constituents of the aerial part of Portulaca oleracea L. METHODS Several chromatographic methods were applied to isolate and purify compounds and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. RESULTS A compound named as portulacerebroside A was isolated and its structures was identified as (2 S ,3 S ,4 R )-2-[(2′ R ,4 E )-2′hydroxy-hexacosenoylamino]-3,4-dihydroxy-hexadecane-1- O -β- D -glucopyranoside. CONCLUSION The compound is a new compound and such kind of compounds have never been obtained from Portulaca oleracea L. before.

Tiliroside, an active flavonoid extensively found in many medicinal plants including Helichrysum italicum, Geranium mexicanum and Helianthemum glomeratum, has been demonstrated to exert multiple biological effects including antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antitumor activities. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play an important role in the Phase I oxidation metabolism of a wide range of xenobiotics and inhibition of CYP isoforms might influence the elimination of drugs and induce serious adverse drug response. The inhibition of seven CYP isoforms (CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C8 and CYP2E1) by tiliroside was investigated using in vitro human liver microsomal incubation assays. The results showed that tiliroside strongly inhibited the activity of CYP3A4 (IC(50) = 9.0 ± 1.7 μm), CYP2C8 (IC(50) = 12.1 ± 0.9 μm) and CYP2C9 (IC(50) = 10.2 ± 0.9 μm) with other CYP isoforms negligibly influenced. Further kinetic analysis showed that inhibition of these three CYP isoforms by tiliroside is best fit to a competitive way. The K(i) value was calculated to be 5.5 μm, 3.3 μm, 9.4 μm for CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and CYP2C8, respectively. The relatively low K(i) values suggested that tiliroside might induce drug-drug interactions with many clinically used drugs which are mainly metabolized by these three CYP isoforms. Therefore, attention should be given to the probable drug-drug interaction between tiliroside-containing herbs and substrates of CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and CYP2C8.

To study the chemical constituents of the leaves of Cassia angustifolia Vahl.Solvents extraction and various chromatographic methods were applied to separate and purify its constituents. The structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical evidence and spectral analysis.Six compounds were obtained and identified as cholesterol (I), kampferol-3-rutinoside (II), calyxanthone (III), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-benzoic acid (IV), p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (V), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (VI).Six compounds ( I -VI) are obtained from this plant for the first time.

To investigate the chemical constituents of the rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel, so as to find new active compounds.The ethanol extracts of the rhizome of Anemone raddeana were obtained by silica column, HPLC. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by means of physico-chemical method and spectral analysis (IR, FAB-MS, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, DEPT, 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC).Nine compounds were isolated and identified as 27-hydroxyolean-12(13)-en-28-oic acid-3-0-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1--2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (1), eleutheroside K (2), Oleanolic acid-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1--2)-[beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1--4)]-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (3), betulin (4), betulic acid (5), acetyloleamolic acid (6), evonymitol (7), oleamolic acid (8) and diosgenin (9).Compound 1 is a new compound, named raddeanoside 12. Compounds 3-7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.