Three new pregnane alkaloids, named terminamines H-J (1-3), together with two known alkaloids (4 and 5), were isolated from the ethanol extract of Pachysandra terminalis. The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including (1)H and (13)C NMR, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 revealed significant anti-metastasis activities. In addition, compound 1 inhibited the expression of p-PKCζ in MDA-MB-231 cells, and compound 4 inhibited the expressions of p-PKCζ in MDA-MB-231 and A549 cells.
Keywords: PKCζ; Pachysandra terminalis; antitumor metastasis; pregnane alkaloids.