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Four new cucurbitane-type triterpenes from Momordica charantia L. with their cytotoxic activities and protective effects on H2O2-damaged pancreatic cells

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Abstract

Four new cucurbitane-type triterpenes were isolated from the fruit of Momordica charantia L. The structures of the new compounds were identified based on HR-ESI-MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic methods. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds was evaluated using three human cancer cell lines, HeLa, Caco2, and U87. Compound 3 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 11.18 μM. Additionally, the cytoprotective activity of these compounds was determined in vitro against H2O2-induced pancreatic injury. The results revealed that all the compounds obtained possess cytoprotective effects against H2O2-induced injury in MIN6 β-cells at a concentration of 10 μM.

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  • 13 August 2019

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Acknowledgements

We are glad to acknowledge the Analytical Center of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University for NMR measurements. The research was supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81703389), Youth development support plan of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University (ZQN2016023), Liaoning E & T research center for industrial chromatographic preparation of Natural Products (No. 2008402021), Technology Platform of Industrialization Chromatographic Preparation for Standard Extract of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2010ZX09401-304), and Liaoning (FGW) Engineering Technology Research Center for industrial chromatographic preparation of natural innovative drugs materials (2017-1007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Precise Medicine Center, Key Laboratory of Microbiology College of Basic Medicine, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, 110034, People’s Republic of China

    Jiayin Yue

  2. School of Functional Food and Wine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Xu, Xiaoshu Zhang & Yuqing Zhao

  3. Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Yuqing Zhao

  4. School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China

    Yuanyuan Sun

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  1. Jiayin Yue
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  2. Yuanyuan Sun
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  3. Jing Xu
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  4. Xiaoshu Zhang
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  5. Yuqing Zhao
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Correspondence to Xiaoshu Zhang or Yuqing Zhao.

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Yue, J., Sun, Y., Xu, J. et al. Four new cucurbitane-type triterpenes from Momordica charantia L. with their cytotoxic activities and protective effects on H2O2-damaged pancreatic cells. J Nat Med 74, 34–40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-019-01336-1

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