Acorus gramineus (Araceae) is widely distributed in Korea, Japan, and China. The rhizomes of the plant
have long been used in the traditional Chinese medicine as a remedy for cognitive
problem, sedation, and analgesia. In Korean traditional medicine, the herb has been
also used for learning and memory improvement. We have recently reported the isolation
of lignan derivatives and their inhibitory effects on NO production in lipopolysaccharide
(LPS)-activated macrophages, and their cytotoxic activity. In a continuing research
on the MeOH extract of A. gramineus, we have further isolated three new quinone derivaties (1-3), together with six known compounds (4-9). The identification and structural elucidation of these new compounds were based
on 1D and 2D NMR, and HR-FABMS data. The absolute configurations were established
on the basis of their CD data. We are studying the cytotoxic activities of isolates
(1-9) by determining their inhibitory effects on the human tumor cell lines (A549, SK-OV-3,
SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15) using a SRB assay. We report herein the isolation, structural
elucidation of the new compounds, and cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds.
