Studies on the constituents of Cimicifuga species

The chemical constituents of Cimicifuga simplex and its retated species wer e reexamined using HPLC and high resolution spectral analysis. From C. simp lex, C. acerina and C. japonica, a new alkaloid, 59 new cycloartane triterp ene glycosides and 11 new aromatic constituents were isolated with the prev iously reported compounds. The latter aromatic constituents were identified in HPLC analysis of the extracts from crude drugs due to C. dahurica, C. h eracleifolia and C. foetida. Several interesting topics in this study are r eviewed 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 s ystem, and so on. Biological activities of a major glycoside, cimicifugosid e, a modified triterpene, acerinol, and benzylrartaric acid derivatives suc h as fukinolic acid and cimicifugic acids were also mentioned.