One new pentacyclic triterpenoid, 3β-carboxylicfilic-4(23)-ene (1), and three known pentacyclic triterpenoids, adian-5-en-3α-ol (2), fernenol (3), and fern-7-en-3β-ol (4) were isolated from the petroleum ether phase of the ethanolic extract of Ainsliaea yunnanensis Franch. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods including 1-D and 2-D NMR, and MS experiments. Compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 showed significant selective cytotoxicity against human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) with IC50 values of 5.12 μM, 1.78 μM, 1.74 μM, and 1.75 μΜ, respectively. Compound 1 also showed an anti-inflammatory effect through the inhibition of the activity of NF-κB by blocking the nuclear translocation of p65.
Keywords: Ainsliaea yunnanensis; NMR; activity; structures; triterpenoids.