Cytotoxic Cycloartane Triterpenoid Saponins from the Rhizomes of Cimicifuga foetida

ABSTRACT: To enrich the bioactive cycloartane triterpenoid glycoside named actein and find out more cytotoxic cycloartane triterpenes, a phytochemical study of Cimicifuga foetida was conducted. 113 g (0.17%) actein was purified by recrystallization while eight cycloartane-type triterpenes (1–8) were isolated from the mother liquid. The chemical structures of new compounds (1–4) were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic analyses. Moreover, new compounds showed moderate and broad-spectrum cytotoxicity against 5 human cancer cell lines with IC(50) values ranging from 4.02 to 15.80 μM. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13659-019-0214-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.