Bioassay-guided fractionation of the diethyl ether extract of the liverwort Asterella angusta led to the isolation of two antifungal bis（bibenzyl）s, riccardin I （1）, and angustatin A （2）. Their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis （1D NMR and 2D NMR, IR, MS）. Compound I is a novel variant riccardin-type bis（bibenzyl）, while compound 2 is the first nonheteratom-containing variant bis（bibenzyl） possessing a bibenzyl-phenanthrene skeleton.
In the present study, scapaundulin C(1), a new labdane diterpenoid, and four related known compounds scapaundulin A(2), 5?, 8?, 9?-trihydroxy-13E-labden-12-one(3), 5?, 8?-dihydroxy-13E-labden-12-one(4), and(13S)-15-hydroxylabd-8(17)-en-19-oic acid(5), were isolated from the Chinese liverwort Scapania undulate(L.) Dum., using column chromatography. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of 1D- and 2D-NMR analyses. The acetylcholinesterase(Ach E) inhibitory activity was evaluated using a bioautographic TLC assay and the cytotoxic activity was evaluated by the MTT method. All the compounds were reported for the first time to exhibit moderate Ach E inhibitory activity with minimal inhibitory quantities ranging from 250 to 500 ng. All the compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines, A549, K562, A2780, Hela, and HT29, and compounds 3 and 4 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on the growth of A2780 cells.
KANG Ya-QiZHOU Jin-ChuanFAN Pei-HongWANG Shu-QiLOU Hong-Xiang
