Phytochemical studies on the leaves of Epimedium koreanum Nakai have resulted in the discovery of two new flavonol glycosides, koreanoside F (1) and koreanoside G (2), along with six known flavonoids. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of HRESIMS, UV, IR, 1 D NMR and 2 D NMR data. Absolute configurations of 1 and 2 was further determined by 13C-NMR spectra with gate decoupling (GD). All of the compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activities by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The results indicated that compounds 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 inhibited the proliferation of A549 and NCI-292 cells with IC50 values of 5.7-23.5 μM. Real-time monitoring in three kinds of lung cancer cells and a kind of human bronchial epithelial cells treated with compound 6 was also assessed.
Keywords: Epimedium koreanum Nakai; cytotoxicity; flavonoids; flavonol glycoside.