Bioactive constituents from Chinese natural medicines. XXVI. Chemical structures and hepatoprotective effects of constituents from roots of Rhodiola sachalinensis.

The methanolic extract from the roots of Rhodiola sachalinensis was found to show a protective effect on D-galactosamine-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes. From the methanolic extract, five new glycosides, two monoterpene glycosides, two flavonol bisdesmosides, and a cyanogenic glycoside, were isolated together with 34 known compounds. The structures of new constituents were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. In addition, the principal constituents, sachalosides III and IV, rhodiosin, and trans-caffeic acid, displayed hepatoprotective effects.