Three new steroidal saponins 1-3, together with five known steroidal saponins, L-mannitol and an inorganic salt were isolated from Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae). The structures of the new steroidal saponins were elucidated as hecogenin 3-O-beta-xylopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-galactopyr anoside (1), hecogenin 3-O-beta-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)- beta-galactopyranoside (2) and 3-O-[beta-xylopyranosyl(1-->2)-[beta-xylopyranosyl(1-->3)]-beta- glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-[alpha-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)]-beta-galactopyranos yl]- 26-O-beta-glucopyranosyl-22-methoxy-(3 beta,5 alpha,25R)-furostan-3,26-diol (3). Structure elucidation was accomplished by 1D and 2D NMR spectra (13C-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC, 1H-1H COSY, TOCSY, and NOESY), mass spectrometry (FABMS, ESIMS) and chemical methods.

Five chromone glycosides were isolated from the water-soluble portions of 70% EtOH extract of the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata, including two new chromone glycosides 1 and 2. The structures of the chromone glycosides were identified as (3'S)-3'-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosylhamaudol (1), (2'S)-4'-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosylvisamminol (2), 3'-O-glucopyranosylhamaudol (3), 4'-O-β-d-glucopyranosylvisamminol (4), and 4'-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol (5) on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were elucidated by the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation and acid hydrolysis. The cytotoxic activities of the glycosides 1 - 5 against three human cancer cell lines (PC-3, SK-OV-3, and H460) were evaluated. The result showed that compounds 1 - 5 had weak cytotoxic activities against the human cancer cell lines with IC values in the range of 48.54 ± 0.80 - 94.25 ± 1.45 μm.

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Three pyrrole alkaloids were isolated from Bolbostemma paniculatum. Their structures were elucidated as 4-(2-formyl-5-methoxymethylpyrrol-1-yl)butyric acid methyl ester (1), 2-(2-formyl-5-methoxymethylpyrrol-1-yl)-3-phenylpropionic acid methyl ester (2) and alpha-methyl pyrrole ketone (3) by spectroscopic techniques. Among them, 1 and 2 are new compounds.

Daphne altaica Pall. (D. altaica; Thymelaeaceae) has long been used in traditional Kazakh medicine for the treatment of cancer and respiratory diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated the in vitro anticancer effects of D. altaica extract and its constituents in certain cancer cell lines; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the activity of an ethyl acetate extract of D. altaica (da-ea) by assessing its effects on cell morphology, cell apoptosis, cell cycle progression and the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PParγ) in eca-109 cells. cell morphology was observed under a phase contrast microscope. cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression were assessed by flow cytometry following annexin V/propidium iodide (Pi) double staining and Pi single staining, respectively. The mrna and protein expression levels of PParγ were determined by reverse transcription-quantitative Pcr and western blotting, respectively. compared with the control group, the percentage of apoptotic cells, cell cycle arrest at S phase and apoptotic morphological cell characteristics were increased in da-ea-treated eca-109 cells. Furthermore, da-ea treatment upregulated the mrna and protein expression levels of PParγ compared with the control cells. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection indicated that daphnetin-7-o-β-d-glucoside, daphnetin, demethyldaph noretin-7-o-β-d-glucopyranoside and genkwanol a were the main constituents of da-ea. collectively, the results suggested that da-ea displayed antiproliferative activities in eca-109 cells by inducing apoptosis and S phase cell cycle arrest, as well as upregulating PParγ expression levels.