Chemical And Bioactive Studies On Epimedium Koreanum Nakai

Epimedium Koreanum Nakai is a species that belongs to the family Pelicanidae.The leaves of the plant have been used as herb known as Yin-Yang-Huo in China.In traditional Chinese medicine,Yin-Yang-Huo has been used for the treatment of a varity of disorders,including infertility,impotence,neurasthenia,cardiovascular diseases,amnesia,lumbago,arthritis,and various immune-modulatory problems.In this research,we studied the chemical constituents of Epimedium Koreanum systematically and evaluated the anti-tumor activity of the prenylated flavonoids obtained.By using column chromatography of silica gel,MCI gel,C18 reverse-phase silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 gel and semi-preparation HPLC,44 compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract of Epimedium Koreanum,and the structures were elucidated as koreanoside F(1),koreanoside G(2),epicornuin A(3),epicomuin F(4),epicornuin B(5),epimedokoreanin B(6),epimedokoreanin C(7),epimedokoreanin D(8),icaritin(9),?-anhydroicaritin(10),epimedonin C(11),3,7-dimethyl kaempferol(12),quercetin(13),luteolin(14),5,7-dihydroxy-2-(p-hydroxyphenoxy)-6-prenylchromone(15),epimedonin B(16),icariside I(17),baohuoside I(18),koreanoside D(19),koreanoside E(20),icariin(21),epimedoside C(22),isoquercitrin(23),icaritin-3-O-rhamnoside(24),caohuoside C(25),ikarisoside A(26),korepimeoside A(27),korepimeoside B(28),korepimedoside A(29),sagittatoside C(30),epimedokoreanoside ?(31),epimedokoreanoside ?(32),epimedoicarisoside A(33),icariside A2(34),2-hydroxy-3,4,6,7-tetramethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene(35),7-hydroxy-2,3,4,6-tetramethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene(36),2,3,5,6,7-tetramethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene(37),maltol(38),epimedokoreanone A(39),salidroside(40),1,4-dihydroxy-2-prenylbenzene(41),2,3-dihydroxypropyl stearate(42),?-sitosterol(43),daucosterol(44).Among them,compounds 1 and 2 are new compounds,and compounds 3,4,5,41 are first reported from this plant.The cytotoxic activity was screened by using MTT assay,the results showed that some of the prenylated flavonoids in Epimedium koreanum were inhibited the proliferation of A549 and NCI-292 cells on different levels.Annexin V/PI double staining showed that E6 could induce apoptosis of lung cancer A549 cells.PI single staining results showed that E6 could not cause cell cycle changes in A549 cells.E6 can induce excessive production of intracellular ROS.