New arbutin derivatives from the leaves of Heliciopsis lobata with cytotoxicity

Abstract Heliciopsis lobata is a medicinal plant, which is exclusively used to treat tumor in Li folk region. Two new arbutin derivatives, 6’-(( E )2-methoxy-5-hydroxycinnamoyl) arbutin ( 1 ) and 2’-(( E )2, 5-dihydroxycinnamoyl) arbutin ( 2 ) along with five known compounds ( 3–7 ), were isolated from the leaves of Heliciopsis lobata . Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic interpretations. They were evaluated for their potential anticancer activity. Compounds 6 and 7 exhibited cytotoxicity against MGC-803 cells with IC 50 values being 44.1 and 11.3 μg·mL −1 , respectively. Additionally, compounds 1, 2 and 5–7 exhibited a moderate inhibition of MGC-803 cells invasion; compound 2 at 20 μg·mL −1 inhibited the invasion of MGC-803 cells by 43.0%, compared with the controls.