Study On Chemical Constituents Of Monascus

Monascus is a filamentous ascomycete that produces many natural compounds such as polyketides,amino acids,azaphilones,alkaloids,steroids,fatty acids and so on.Red yeast rice is obtained from fermentation of rice with fungi of the genes Monascus.It has been used for over 1000 years in China for medicinal and edible effect.Red yeast rice was used for medicinal purposes such as promoting digestion and blood circulation,strengthening the spleen,eliminating dampness and treating blood stasis.It also has good physiological functions such as lowering blood lipid,lowering blood pressure,anti-bacterial,anti-oxidation and good cytotoxicity,which make it a safe and highly effective fungus resource.The chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of red yeast rice were also reviewed,which provided an opportuniy for further exploring the trace bioactive components of red yeast rice.Objective:In order to further discover more bioactive substances from red yeast rice,the systematical study of the chemical constituents of function red yeast rice was carried out.Methods:As a result,a total of 26 compounds were isolated from the red yeast rice by chromatographic methods such as MCI resin,Sephadex LH-20,TLC,reverse phase ODS,and HPLC.Their structures were characterized by MS,UV,NMR,and CD.Results:A total of 26 compounds were isolated from the red yeast rice,including monacolin N1(1),monacolin N2(2),monacolin N3(3),monacolin N4(4),monacolin N5(5),monacolin N6(6),and 2-methyl-5-(2’R-methyl-4’-hydroxy-butyl)-cinnamic acid(7),5-(2’-hydroxy-6’-methyl phenyl)-3-methylfuran-2-carboxylic acid(8),daidzein(9),genistein(10),FK17-P2b1(11),monasphilone A(12),monascinol(13),monascin(14),rubropunctamine(15),monasfluol A(16),monasfluore A(17),(1S,2S,4aR,6R,8aS)-1,2,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-Octahydro-2,6-dimethyl-1-naphthalenepropanoic acid(18),monacolin R(19),hydromonacolin S(20),methyl ester of hydroxy acid form of hydromonacolin S(21),methyl ester of hydroxy acid form of monacolin L(22),methyl ester of hydroxy acid form of monacolin K(23),monacolin K(24),monacolin K Acid(25)and 16,22-epoxy-ergosta-5,7-dien-3,20,23,25-tetraol(26),respectively.Conclusion:Compounds 1-7 were new and 8-10 were firstly discovered from the genus Monascus.The discovery of compounds 11-26 has provided a good reference for the basic research of red yeast rice.