Studies On The Chemical Constituents And Bioactivities Of Two Pharmaceutical Species

The chemical consitituents and bioactivities of one Compositae and one Euphorbiaceae species were studied.The genus Euphorbia has been placed taxonomically in the family Euphorbiaceae, spread all over the world, mainly native to temperate and subtropical regions. About 2000 species of this genus, in the majority with South America and Africa, there are more than 60 species widely distributed in our country. The root, stem and leaf all can be used as medicine, according to their different kinds. There are also some for viewing. Euphorbia kansui, one of the most common traditional folk medicine, is used to treat ascites, epilepsy, edema, urine impassability and tumor. Researching for bioactive and intriguing components from Euphorbia species, we chose the roots of Euphorbia kansui. As a result, a new compound possessing a novel carbon skeleton, along with 10 known compounds were isolated from this plant. The structure of these compounds were established by analysis of HRESIMS, 1D- and 2D-NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.The genus Ligularia has been placed taxonomically in the family Compositae. It consists of about 150 species in the world. Most of the species native to Asia, only two kinds of distributed in Europe. And more than 110 species are almost distributed in the east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the southwest of China, in which about 30 species have been used as traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of fever, cough, nausea and stomachache in China. Ligularia virgaurea, is mainly distributed in northwestern China and is used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of stomachache and nausea. Previously, our chemical and biological investigations on L. virgaurea resulted in the identification of sesquiterpenes, which were main constituents in this plant. Continuing research for bioactive and intriguing components from Ligularia species and the influence of different ecological environments on the chemical constituents of this plant, we chose the leaves of L. virgaurea. As a result,2 new eremophilane sesquiterpenoids together with 9 known compounds were isolated from this species. The structures of these compounds were established by analysis of HRESIMS, 1D-,2D-NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.Furthermore, new compounds were assayed for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against human cervical carcinoma cell (HeLa) and human small cell lung cancer cell (NCI-446) lines by the MTT colorimetric method. As a result, these compounds exhibited good cytotoxic activity against NCI-446 and HeLa cells.Finally, the resources survey, chemical components and bioactivities of the Ligularia virgaurea were summarized for providing a reference for the further research and development of this plant.