An Immune-Suppressive Triterpenoid from the Roots of Kadsura coccinea

Kadsura coccinea is a folk medicine from the family Schisandraceae. Clinically, it has been used to treat many diseases like chronic gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Lignans and triterpenes are the main constituents of it. In this paper, phytochemical research on the root of K. coccinea was carried out, leading to the isolation of a previously undescribed 3,4-secolanostane (1). Its structure was established by means of comprehensive spectral analysis, including ECD calculation. Furthermore, bioactivity assay revealed that 1 could elicit a moderate immune-suppressive activity, showing an IC50 value of 8.32 ± 0.13 μM against ConA-induced T-cell proliferation and with IC50 value of 15.58 ± 0.25 μM against LPS-induced B-cell proliferation. The results indicate that 1 might be used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.