The plant of Lysimachia foenum-graecum (primulaceae) has been used as traditional medicine to treat cold, headache, inflammation, and diseases of digestive system.[1] Previous phytochemical investigations of this plant have led to the isolation of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and triterpene saponins.[2] The aim of the present research is to isolate and identify anti-inflammatory agents from medicinal plants. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the n-BuOH soluble fraction of the aerial parts of L. foenum-graceum led to the isolation of seven new oleanane-type triterpene saponins (1-7), which contains angeloyl and acetyl groups in the aglycone. Their structure were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods such as 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. Isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the NO production against LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, and showed significant inhibitory effects with IC50 values ranging from 1.6 to 47.9 μM.
[1] Huang XA, Shen XL, Hu YJ, Liu YM, Liu KL, Zhang FX, Zhou XX. Molecules 2011; 16: 8076-8082.
[2] Kohda H, Takeda O, Tanaka S. Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin 1989; 37:3304-3305.