Chemical constituents of original plants of Cimicifugae rhizoma in Chinese medicine

Abstract

Cimicifugae Rhizoma have been used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic remedy in the traditional Chinese medicines. Many 9,19- cyclolanostane glycosides have been isolated from Cimicifuga and related genera. Two biogenetically key compounds, acetylshengmanol xyloside and cimicifugoside H-1, were isolated and their chemical structures were elucidated by our group. The former compound seems to be the parent component of the other glycosides such as cimigenol xyloside, 25-O-acetylcimigenol xyloside, 25-O-methylcimigenol xyloside and cimigol xyloside from C. dahurica, C. iaponica and C. acerina. The latter glycoside, cimicifugoside H- 1 was isolated together with cimicifugosides H-2-H-6 from commercial Cimicifugae Rhizoma. They are novel glycosides having a hydroxyl group at C- 11, and cimicifugosides H-3, H-4 and H-6 were trinor-triterpenol glycosides. Cimicifugoside H-1 changed into H-2, H-3 and H-4 under acidic or alkaline conditions. In this review, the structure elucidation of the above glycosides and their chemical transformation into the other Cimicifuga glycosides are described.