Cytotoxic cycloartane triterpenes from the roots of Cimicifuga heracleifolia

Phytochemical investigation on the roots of Cimicifuga heracleifolia afforded nine new 9,19-cycloartane triterpenes (1–9), along with seven known constituents (10–16). The new structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Biological evaluation of the compounds against human HL-60, SMMC-7721, A549, MCF-7, and SW-480 cell lines indicated that eight cimigenol-type compounds (1–3, 5, 10–12, 14) showed different levels of cytotoxic activities, with IC50 values ranging from 0.83 to 23.94 μM. In addition, their structural and bioactive features enriched the structure–activity relationships we proposed before.