[Studies on the constituents of Cimicifuga species]

The chemical constituents of Cimicifuga simplex and its related species were reexamined using HPLC and high resolution spectral analysis. From C. simplex, C. acerina and C. japonica, a new alkaloid, 59 new cycloartane triterpene glycosides and 11 new aromatic constituents were isolated with the previously reported compounds. The latter aromatic constituents were identified in HPLC analysis of the extracts from crude drugs due to C. dahurica, C. heracleifolia and C. foetida. Several interesting topics in this study are reviewed about separation of unstable and closely related compounds by HPLC, rearrangement reactions, chemical conversion for confirmation of absolute configuration, isomerism in NMR solutions, X-ray crystal analysis, spectral analysis of complicated structures, isolation of glycoside malonates, high yield of enzymatic hydrolysis, specific CD curve due to a cycloart-7-ene system, and so on. Biological activities of a major glycoside, cimicifugoside, a modified triterpene, acerinol, and benzyltartaric acid derivatives such as fukinolic acid and cimicifugic acids were also mentioned.