Steroidal saponins from Smilax china and their anti-inflammatory activities

Abstract Steroidal saponins, 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 , were isolated from the BuOH extract of Smilax china L., along with 13 known compounds, 5 – 17 . Their structures were elucidated on the basis of MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses and chemical evidence. In the bioassay tests, all compounds showed inhibitory effects on cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX-2) activities at final concentration of 10 −5  M, and only compound 5 showed an inhibitory effect on production of TNFα (tumor necrosis factor α) in murine peritoneal macrophages at the same concentration.