Two new triterpenoid saponins from Symplocos Chinensis

Abstract

Two new triterpenoid saponins, symplocososides X (1) and Y (2) have been isolated from the roots of Symplocos chinensis, and their structures elucidated as 21β-O- cinnamoyl-22α-O-(2-methylbutanoyl)-15α, 16α, 28-trihydroxyolean-12-ene-3β-O-[β-d-glucopyranosyl (1 → 2)]-α-l-arabinofuranosyl (1 → 4)-β-d-glucuronopyranoside (1) and 21β-O-cinnamoyl-22α-O-(2-methylbutanoyl)-15α, 16α, 28-trihydroxyolean-12-ene-3β-O-(3-O-acetyl)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl (1 → 2)]-α-l-arabinofuranosyl (1 → 4)-β-d-glucuronopyranoside (2) by spectral and chemical methods. Their antitumor activities have also been tested.

Keywords:

• Symplocososides X and Y
• Symplocos chinensis
• Triterpenoid saponins

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the National Key Basic R&D (973) project NO. G1998-051120 and by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863) project NO. 2002AA2Z343B. We are grateful to the Department of Instrumental Analysis and the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College for measuring the UV, IR, NMR spectra, the cell cultivation and bioactivity tests. We also thank Mr Guoqiang Chen, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences for recording the HESIMS.