• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2018

Betula platyphylla var. japonica (Betulaceae), also known as Asian white birch, is an endemic medicinal tree, the bark of which has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. In our continuing search for bioactive compounds from Korean natural resources, a phytochemical investigation of the bark of B. platyphylla var. japonica led to the isolation of 7-oxo-${\beta}$-sitosterol (1) and soyacerebroside I (2) from its ethanol extract as main components by liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based analysis. The structures of isolates were identified by comparison of $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data and physical data with the previously reported values and LC/MS analyses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that the isolated compounds, 7-oxo-${\beta}$-sitosterol and soyacerebroside I, were isolated in B. platyphylla var. japonica. We examined the effects of the isolates on the regulation of adipocytes and osteoblast differentiation. These isolates (1 and 2) produced fewer lipid droplets compared to the untreated negative control in Oil Red O staining of the mouse mesenchymal stem cell line without altering the amount of alkaline phosphatase staining. The results demonstrated that both compounds showed marginal inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation but did not affect osteoblast differentiation.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.234-240
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• 2009

Phytochemical investigation of the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of Bistorta manshuriensis resulted in the isolation of two cerebrosides, two lactams, six phenolic compounds and seven flavonoids. Their chemical structures were characterized by spectroscopic methods to be pinelloside (1), soyacerebroside I (2), pterolactam (3), 5-hydroxypyrrolidine-2-one (4), vanillic acid (5), caffeic acid methyl ester (6), protocatechuic acid (7), caffeic acid (8), 3,5-di-O-caffeoyl quinic acid methyl ester (9), chlorogenic acid methyl ester (10), avicularin (11), afzelin (12), quercetin (13), isoorientin (14), quercetin 3-O-${\beta}$-D-glucoside (15), quercitrin (16), and luteolin (17). The isolated compounds (1 - 4, 7, 12, 14) were isolated for the first time from this plant source and the compounds 1 - 4, 9 and 10 were first reported from the genus Bistorta. Compound 17 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity and compound 6 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines in vitro using an SRB bioassay.