Antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory furostanol saponins from the rhizomes of Tupistra chinensis

- Twenty-four furostanol saponins were isolated from the rhizome of Tupistra chinensis.
- Ten new compounds were reported for the first time.
- Some compounds showed significant antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities.

Phytochemical investigations of the rhizome of Tupistra chinensis led to the isolation of ten new furostanol saponins along with fourteen known spirostanols. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods, including IR, NMR, MS, and GC analyses. The antiproliferative effects against FaDu and Detroit 562 cell lines and inhibitory activities on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 were assayed for all the isolated compounds. Compound 14 exhibited significant antiproliferative effects against FaDu and Detroit 562 cells with IC50 values of 1.1 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.1 μM, respectively. Compounds 1, 2, 6, 13, 16, 19 and 24 exhibited inhibitory effects on NO production with IC50 values ranging from 15.7 to 46.2 μM.