Acylated phenylethanoid oligoglycosides with hepatoprotective activity from the desert plant Cistanche tubulosa

The methanolic extract from fresh stems of Cistanche tubulosa (Orobanchaceae) was found to show hepatoprotective effects against D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury in mice. From the extract, three new phenylethanoid oligoglycosides, kankanosides H(1) (1), H(2) (2), and I (3), were isolated together with 16 phenylethanoid glycosides (4-19) and two acylated oligosugars (20, 21). The structures of 1-3 were determined on the basis of spectroscopic properties as well as of chemical evidence. Among the isolates, echinacoside (4, IC(50)=10.2 microM), acteoside (5, 4.6 microM), isoacteoside (6, 5.3 microM), 2'-acetylacteoside (8, 4.8 microM), and tubuloside A (10, 8.6 microM) inhibited D-GalN-induced death of hepatocytes. These five isolates, 4 (31.1 microM), 5 (17.8 microM), 6 (22.7 microM), 8 (25.7 microM), and 10 (23.2 microM), and cistantubuloside B(1) (11, 21.4 microM) also reduced TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity in L929 cells. Moreover, principal constituents (4-6) exhibited in vivo hepatoprotective effects at doses of 25-100mg/kg, po.