Four sesquiterpenoids from the vegetable raw material Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.: leaves and stems

Four sesquiterpenoids A-D (1-4) were isolated from the ethanol extracts of the leaves and stems from Schisandra chinensis. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by a combination of NMR, MS and ECD. Compounds 1-4 (10 mu M) exhibited moderate hepatoprotective activities against APAP-induced LO2 cell damage with increasing cell viability by 18%, 17%, 16%, and 19% compared to the model group (bicyclol, 26%) at 10 mu M, respectively. All the compounds displayed no cytotoxic activity against five human cell lines, which also suggested the safety of leaves and stems of S. chinensis as an edible vegetable in a degree.

Automated summary

Four sesquiterpenoids were isolated from Schisandra chinensis and showed moderate hepatoprotective activities against liver cell damage. They also demonstrated no cytotoxic activity against human cell lines, indicating the safety of S. chinensis as a vegetable.