Four new C19-diterpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum hemsleyanum var. circinatum.

Four new C19-diterpenoid alkaloids, hemaconitines A-D (1-4), were isolated from the roots of Aconitum hemsleyanum var. circinatum. Their structures were elucidated as 19R-hydroxyl-secoyunnaconitine (1), (3R)-hydroxyl-liwaconitine (2), 14-anisoyl-leucanthumsine E (3), and 19R -acetonyl-8-O-methyltalatisamine (4) by extensive spectroscopic analysis (IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, 1D, and 2D NMR).

Three unusual sesquineolignans from Alpinia conchigera.

Three unusual sesquineolignans conchignans A, B, and C, together with two known compounds vanillin and phloroglucinol, were isolated from the whole plants of Alpinia conchigera. Their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis, including 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques.

Apoptosis induction and G2/M arrest of 2-methyl-1,3,6-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone from Rubia yunnanensis in human cervical cancer Hela cells.

2-Methyl-1,3,6-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (MTA), one of the major components isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Rubia yunnanensis, exhibited inhibitory activity on the proliferation of several human cancer cell lines. The results from an annexin V-FITC (fluoresein-5-isothiocyanate) apoptosis assay and DNA content analysis showed that MTA exerted cytotoxicity via apoptosis induction and G2/M cell cycle arrest in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. Further, MTA was found to induce apoptosis of HeLa cells through the mitochondria-mediated pathway. It caused the translocation of Bax to the mitochondria and release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, which caused the cleavage of caspase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and finally triggered the apoptosis. Furthermore, the p53/p21/Cdc2-cyclin B1 signaling was found related to the G2/M arrest caused by MTA. The over-expression of p21 and down-expression of cyclin B1 caused by MTA inactivated the Cdc2-cyclin B1 complex of G2/M checkpoint and finally caused the G2/M arrest in HeLa cells. This study demonstrated that MTA is a potential anti-cancer component of R. yunnanensis, a folk anti-cancer herb used in Yunnan, China.

[Phenolic compounds from Jatropha curcas].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the chemical constituents of Jatropha curcas. METHOD: Chemical constituents were obtained using various chromatography methods including silica gel column chromatography and HPLC. The structures of isolated compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and MS. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Fourteen phenolic compounds were obtained from the stems of J. curcas and their structures were identified to be 5,4'-dihydroxy-3, 7, 3'-trimethoxyflavone (1), 5, 3', 4'-trihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone (2), 3-O-methylquercetin (3), 5, 6, 7-trimethoxycoumarin (4), tomentin (5), isoscopoletin (6), omega-hydroxypropioquaiacone (7), coniferaldehyde (8), 3, 5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (9), vanillic acid (10), isovanillin (11), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12), cimifugin (13) and (E)-3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-stilbene (14). Among them, compounds 1-4 and 6-14 were isolated from the genus of Jatropha for the first time.

[Chemical constituents contained in ethanol extracts from Acorus tatarinowii and their anti-fatigue activity].

Chemical constituents in ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of ethanol extracts from Acorus tatarinowii were separated by column chromatography. Bufo skeletal muscle fatigue model was established to study the anti-fatigue activity of separated compounds. Five compounds were separated and identified by spectroscopic analysis as acoramone(1),cycloartenone(2),2,4,5-trimethoxyl-2'-butoxy-1,2-phenyl propandiol(3),5-hydroxymethyl furfural(4), and 5-butoxymethyl furfural(5). Compound 3 was a new compound, and compounds 2 and 5 were separated from this plant for the first time. Compound 4 exhibited a notable anti-fatigue activity.

New Labdane diterpenes from Hedychium yunnanense with cytotoxicity and inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production.

Two new labdane diterpenes, hedychenoids A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the rhizomes of Hedychium yunnanense, together with four known ones hedychenone (3), forrestin A (4), villosin (5) and calcaratarin C (6). Their structures were determined on the basis of NMR (1D and 2D) and mass spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 2, 3 and 5 exhibited cytotoxicity against SGC-7901 with IC50 values of 14.88 ± 0.52, 7.08 ± 0.21 and 7.76 ± 0.21 µg/ml, 3 and 5 against HeLa with IC50 values of 9.76 ± 0.48 and 13.24 ± 0.63 µg/ml, respectively. Compounds 2, 5 showed inhibitory effects against nitric oxide production in LPS and IFN-γ-induced RAW 264.7 murine macrophages with IC50 values of 6.57 ± 0.88 and 5.99 ± 1.20 µg/ml, respectively.

8-9' linked neolignans with cytotoxicity from Alpinia conchigera.

Five new 8-9' linked neolignans conchigeranals A-E (1-5), together with three known compounds galanganal (6), galanganols A (7) and B (8), were isolated from the whole plant of Alpinia conchigera. Their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis, including 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicities of compounds 1-8 were tested against two cancer cell lines A549 and Hela. Results showed that 4, 5, 7 and 8 exhibited cytotoxicity against A549 with the IC50 values of 12.36, 9.72, 10.26, 13.05 µg/ml, respectively, and 1-8 against Hela with the IC50 values from 1.53 to 5.29 µg/ml.

Cytotoxic sesquiterpenes and lignans from Saussurea deltoidea.

Two new sesquiterpenes deltoiden A (1) and deltoiden B (2), and two new lignans deltoignan A (9) and deltoignan B (10), together with 14 known compounds, including six sesquiterpenes 3-8 and three lignans 11-13, were isolated from the whole plant of Saussurea deltoidea. Compounds 3-8 and 11-17 were isolated for the first time from this plant. Their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis, including 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicities of compounds 1-13 were tested against three cancer cell lines A549, Hela and SMMC-7721. Results showed that 5, 6 and 7 exhibited cytotoxicity against SMMC-7721 with the IC(50) values of 6.49, 9.53, 1.23 µg/ml, 5 and 7 against A549 with the IC(50) values of 4.99 and 5.35 µg/ml, 5, 6, 7, 13 against Hela with the IC(50) values of 1.40, 4.75, 0.93 and 5.42 µg/ml, respectively. The structure-activity relationships of sesquiterpenes 1-8 were discussed on the base of cytotoxic results.

A new chromene isolated from Ageratum conyzoides.

From the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Ageratum conyzoides L. (Compositae), one new chromene, 2,2-dimethylchromene 7-methoxy-6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, was isolated, together with thirteen known compounds, seven of which were being reported for the first time. The compounds were all characterized by MS, IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. 7,3',5'-Tri-O-methyltricetin (7), precocene II (9), 3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxyflavone (13) and 5,6,7,3',4',5'-hexamethoxyflavone (14) exhibited inhibitory activity on the P-388 cancer cell line with IC50 values of 12.8, 24.8, 3.5 and 7.8 microM respectively, while compound 9 exhibited inhibitory activity on the HT-29 cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 61 microM; the others showed no significant cytotoxic activity on the cell lines tested.