Protective cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the stems of Cucumis melo against cisplatin nephrotoxicity

Six new cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, named melonoids A-F (1-6), were isolated from the stems of Cucumis melo L., along with eight known compounds (7-14). Their structures were elucidated through comprehensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, UV, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Melonoid F (6) is the first example of cucurbitacin bearing an additional furan moiety at the C-24. In vitro evaluation showed that compounds 1-7 protected against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner, with cell viability increasing by 24%-35% relative to the model group at a compound concentration of 100 μM.