Anti-proliferative effects of chemical constituents from Saururus chinensis

Saururus chinensis (Saururaceae) widely distributed in Asia in areas of high temperatures. Traditionally, the plant has been used for treatments of edema, jaundice, and gonorrhea. In previous studies, various lignans, neolignans, aristolactams, and flavonoids were isolated from this plant. In the present study, four new lignans (1-4), and a new phenylpropanoid (5), along with four known compounds (6-9) were isolated from the aerial parts of S. chinensis. Their structures were elucidated through detailed spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR experiments (HSQC, and HMBC), and spectroscopic comparisons with related compounds. The configurations of compounds (1-5) were determined by NOESY experiments in conjunction with circular dichroism (CD). Also, the effects of compounds (1-9) on antiproliferative activity in HSC-T6 cells were evaluated. Of these, compounds 1, 8, and 9 exhibited 71.9%, 83.1% and 73.3% suppression, respectively, at 100µM for 48h in HSC-T6 cells.

Fig. 1: Structure of compounds 1 – 9.

Keywords: Saururus chinensis, lignan, HSC-T6 cells