Chemical constituents of Rubia yunnanensis and their cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activities

Two undescribed compounds, rubianthraquinone-3- O - β -glucopyranoside ( 1 ) and 28-hydroxyrubiyunnanol A ( 2 ), along with thirteen known analogues ( 3 – 15 ), were isolated from the roots of Rubia yunnanensis . Structural carried out was elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analyses and by comparison with the data described in the literature. The biological potential of all isolates was carried out through assessing their cytotoxicity against HepG2 cancer cell line, as well as evaluating their capacity to inhibit IL-6 and TNF- α production in LPS-stimulated macrophage cultures. Notably, compounds 14 , and 15 obviously inhibited the growth of HePG2 cells, whereas 6 , 10 , and 11 displayed pronounced suppression of both IL-6 generation and TNF- α release.