Bioactive pentacyclic triterpenes from the root extract of Ampelopsis japonica (Thunb.) Makino

Two new Delta 12 ursene-type pentacyclic triterpenes containing the trans-feruloyl moiety (1, 2), together with five known pentacyclic triterpenes (4, 5, 6, 7), were isolated from a Ampelopsis japonica (Thunb.) Makino root ethanol extract. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV, MS, 1D, 2D NMR). The isolated compounds 2, 4-7 exhibited potent inhibitory activity on NO production in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells by using MTT assays, with inhibition rates of 33.53-56.37 %.