Three new lanostane-type triterpenes from the epidermis of Wolfiporia cocos

Wolfiporia cocos is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine for its diuretic, tonifying, and invigorating effects on the spleen. However, the epidermis of W. cocos is discarded as scrap during harvesting because of its low price, resulting in a great waste of resources and environmental pollution. In this work, the epidermis of W. cocos was studied and three new lanostane triterpenoids were isolated. The structures were determined using NMR and HRESIMS, with absolute configurations established by comparison of the calculated and experimental ECD spectra. The three new compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. None of the tested compounds showed inhibition against these three strains of indicator microbes at a concentration of 128 mu g/ml. This study provides a reference for further medicinal development and the utilization of the epidermis of W. cocos.

Automated summary

Wolfiporia cocos is a traditional Chinese medicine with diuretic, tonifying, and invigorating effects on the spleen. The discarded epidermis of W. cocos was studied and three new lanostane triterpenoids were isolated. The structures were determined and the compounds showed no inhibition against indicator microbes. This study provides a reference for further medicinal development and utilization of W. cocos.