Triterpenoids from the Fruits of Wild Species of Crataegus scabrifolia and Their Lipid-Lowering Activities

To investigate the chemical constituents of fruits of wild species of Crataegus scabrifolia and their lipid-lowering activities. The compounds were isolated and purified by various column chromatography, and their structures were identified based on the comprehensive analyses of the physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. The lipid-lowering activities of isolated compounds were evaluated by a cellular model of HepG2 in vitro. Ten triterpenoids were obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of the fruits of wild species of C. scabrifolia and identified as alpha-amyrin (I), ursolic acid (II), pomolic acid (III), tormentic acid (IV), euscaphic acid (V), 2 alpha,19 alpha-dihydroxy-3-oxo-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (VI), fupenzic acid (VII), oleanolic acid (VIII), beta-amyrin (IX), and 3-epifriedelinol (X). Compounds (I), (IX), and (X) were isolated from the genus Crataegus for the first time, and compounds (III-VIII) were isolated from the C. scabrifolia for the first time. Compounds (V-VII) showed significant lipid-lowering activities in vitro with lipid-lowering rates of 8.9 +/- 4.3%, 12.0 +/- 4.6%, and 6.5 +/- 5.5% at a concentration of 200 mu mol/L. Molecular docking results suggested that the ACC may be a target of lipid-lowering activity for Crataegus triterpenoids.

Automated summary

This study investigated the chemical constituents of wild Crataegus scabrifolia fruits and their lipid-lowering activities. Ten triterpenoids were isolated and identified, with some of them exhibiting significant lipid-lowering activities. The results suggest that these triterpenoids may have potential as lipid-lowering agents.