Salviachinensines A–F, Antiproliferative Phenolic Derivatives from the Chinese Medicinal Plant Salvia chinensis

Six new phenolic acid derivatives, salviachinensines A–F (1–6), together with 14 known compounds (7–20) were isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant Salvia chinensis. The structures of salviachinensines A–F (1–6) were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy, bioinspired chemical synthesis, ECD analysis, and quantum chemical calculation methods. Compounds 2 and 3 are a pair of cis–trans isomers, and compounds 5 and 6 a pair of epimers. The solvent-induced isomerization of compounds 5 and 6 and the hypothetical biogenetic pathway of compounds 1–6, as well as the antiproliferative property and the ability of 1 to induce apoptosis and arrest cell cycle progression of MOLM-13 cells, were also investigated.