New Polyacetylenes, DGAT inhibitors from the roots of Panax ginseng.

The petroleum ether extract of Panax ginseng showed a significant inhibition of the diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) enzyme from rat liver microsomes. Bioactivity-guided fractionation led to the isolation of two new polyacetylenic compounds, (9 R,10 S)-epoxyheptadecan-4,6-diyn-3-one ( 1) and 1-methoxy-(9 R,10 S)-epoxyheptadecan-4,6-diyn-3-one ( 2). Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence and asymmetric synthesis. IC50 values of 9 microg/mL ( 1) and 32 microg/mL ( 2) were obtained.