Abstract:

The study aimed to investigate the chemical constituents in the n-butanol fraction of the ethanol extract of Cephalotaxus hainanensis and evaluate their anti-inflammatory activities. Six phenolic compounds were isolated using various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated through modern spectroscopic methods, such as mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, and identified as (4S, 5R, 8R, 9S, 10S)-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane-8, 9, 10-triol (1), 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl-1-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 5-(3²,4²-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-3-(4¢-hydroxy-3¢-methoxybenzyl)-4-hydroxymethyl-dihydrofuran-2-one 4¢-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4-(3-hydroxypropyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy]-propane-1,3-diol (5) and (+)-isolariciresinol (6). Compound 1 was a new compound, while compounds 2‐6 were isolated from C. hainanensis for the first time. Lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse mononuclear macrophages (RAW 264.7) were used as a model to determine the inhibition of NO production. Compound 5 had potential anti-inflammatory activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 37.58 ± 2.11 μmol/L, whereas the positive control quercetin exhibited an IC₅₀ of 7.34 ± 0.55 μmol/L.

Key words: Cephalotaxaceae, Cephalotaxus hainanensis;phenolic constituents;anti-inflammatory activity