Isolation and Characterization of Auronolignan Derivatives with Hepatoprotective Activities from Cucumis bisexualis.

A new auronolignan derivative, named 6-hydroxy-7′-(4′′-hydroxyphenyl)-10′-acetylauronolignan (1), together with two known auronolignan derivatives (2, 3) were isolated from Cucumis bisexualis for the first time. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and reported references. Compounds 1–3 were evaluated for their in vitro inhibitory activities against the increase in AST and ALT levels in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells within the range of their maximum nontoxic concentration. Among them, compounds 1 and 2 exhibited moderate hepatoprotective activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]