Anti-inflammatory iridoids from the stems of Cistanche deserticola cultured in Tarim Desert

Abstract In order to determine the chemical constituents of Cistanche deserticola cultured in Tarim desert, a systematically phytochemical investigation was carried out. The constituents were isolated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MCI gel, ODS column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were determined on the basis of MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses, by chemical methods, and/or comparison with literature data. The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in BV-2 mouse microglial cells. Nine iridoids were isolated and identified as cistadesertoside A ( 1 ), cistanin ( 2 ), cistachlorin ( 3 ), 6-deoxycatalpol ( 4 ), gluroside ( 5 ), kankanoside A ( 6 ), ajugol ( 7 ), bartsioside ( 8 ), and 8- epi -loganic acid ( 9 ). Compound 9 exhibited potent inhibition on the NO production with an IC 50 value being 5.2 μmol·L −1 , comparable to the positive control quercetin (4.3 μmol·L −1 ). Compound 1 was a new iridoid, and compounds 5, 6 , and 8 were isolated from this species for the first time.