Drimane-type sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoids from the whole plant of Limonium sinense with their antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities

Abstract

Saline-tolerant medicinal plants possess novel chemical constituents with high bioactivity because of their unique secondary metabolic pathways. Limonium sinense, an aquatic plant found in the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, was collected and studied in the present work. Ten drimane-type sesquiterpenoids and four triterpenoids, including six new ones (sinenseines A–F), were isolated from a whole plant of L. sinense for the first time. Their structures, including the absolute configurations, were determined by analyzing the comprehensive spectroscopic data. In addition, twelve terpenoids, including nine sesquiterpenoids, were identified using UPLC-MS/MS and GNPS methods. All isolates were evaluated for their antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 2–4, 6, 13, and 14 showed moderate anti-tumor effects on A549, H1299, HepG2 and A2780 cells with IC₅₀ values ranging from 35.2 ± 2.0 to 90.5 ± 3.1 μM. Furthermore, compound 1 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 8.3 ± 1.2 μM against NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.