Studies On The Chemical Constituents Of Melastoma Dodecandrum And Achillea Alpina

Preliminary bioassays revealed that the ethanol extracts of two medicinal plants of Melastoma dodecandrum Lour.(family Melastomataceae) and Achillea alpina L (family Asteraceae) demonstrated moderate anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, the chemical constituents of these two plants were investigated and twenty-nine compounds were obtained. Their structures were characterized on the basis of spectral data and a direct comparison with those in the references. Some compounds were found to show moderate inhibition against interleukin-8(IL-8) production in HT-29cells induced by interleukin-1β(IL-1β).The95%ethanol extract of M. dodecandrum was successively partitioned with petrol ether, chloroform, and ethyl-acetate. Eighteen compounds were obtained from the ethyl-acetate extract, including four triterpenes:ursolic acid (1), betulinic acid (2), asiatic acid (3), and terminolic acid (6); three steroids:daucosterol6’-O-eicosanoate (4), daucosterol (5), and cellobiosylsterol (14); seven flavonoids:vitexin (7), kaempferol3-glucoside (8), isovitexin (9), quercetin3-glucoside (12), luteolin6-C-β-glucopyranoside (13), quercetin3-O-robinobioside (15), and kaempferol3-0-robinobioside (16); three tannins:4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl-1-O-(6’-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), quercetin3-O-β-D-(6"-galloyl) glucopyranoside (11), and casuarinin (17), together with a cerebroside:dracontioside B (18). Among them, compounds1-4,6,10,11,13,16, and18were obtained from this plant for the first time. Compounds1,10, and11exhibited anti-inflammatory activities.The ethanol extraction of A. alpina was successively partitioned with chloroform, ethyl-acetate, and n-butanol sequentially. Eleven compounds were purified from the chloroform extract, including a triterpene:epifriedelanol (19); three steroids: spinasterol (20),β-sitosterol (21),5,6-epoxy-24(R)-methylcholesta-7,22-dien-3β-ol (29); two sesquiterpenes:schensianol (23), negunfurol (24); one13-norguaiapentaene:(R)-4-((2S,4S)-2,4-dihydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-cyclohexylidene)but-3-en-2-one (27); an amino acid derivative:saropeptate (25); a lignan:(+)-syringaresinol (28); and bisphenol A (22) as well as its derivative:bisphenol A diglycidyl ether·HCl (26). All of the constituents (19-29) were isolated from this plant for the first time.