Objective: To study the chemical components from the leaves of Fatsia japonica and their antitumor activities in vitro.
Methods: All compounds were separated and purified by column chromatography over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by physical and chemical properties and spectral methods including 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. Antitumor assay was measured by MTT method.
Results: 18 compounds were isolated and identified as palmitic acid (1), β-hydroxypropiovanillone (2), adenosine (3), β-sitosterol (4), daucosterol (5), oleanolic acid (6), echinocystic acid (7), betulinic acid (8), hederagenin(9), hederagenin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)-α-L-arabinopyranoside(10), acacetin(11), quercetin(12), quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(13), isovitexin(14), isovitexin-7-O-glucoside(15), astragalin(16), methylpluviatolide(17), and syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(18).
Conclusion: All compounds are isolated from the leaves of Fatsia japonica for the first time except compound 1. The ethyl acetate extract and compounds 6, 10, 12 and 18 at the concentration of 0. 5 mg/mL showed inhibitory effect against the proliferation of colon cell line A549 with the inhibitory rate over 90% in vitro.