A new seco-nortriterpene and other phytochemicals from Potentilla kleiniana and their chemotaxonomic significance

The chemical investigation of the Potentilla kleiniana led to the isolation of a new seco-nortriterpene, kleinianene (1), and eight known compounds including one phenylpropanoid glycoside (2), one lignan glycoside (3), one ellagic acid derivative (4), one phenylacetic acid derivative (5), one C₂₁-steroid (6), one polyhydroxyalkylpyrazine derivative (7), one quinoline derivative (8), and one phenolic acid (9). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison with literature data. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of 1 was evaluated by measuring its inhibitory effect on NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The obtained result showed a moderate inhibition effect of NO release with IC₅₀ value of 26.88 ± 0.36 μM. All the above compounds were isolated from P. kleiniana for the first time and five compounds (2 and 5–8) were first reported from the family Rosaceae. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance of the isolated compounds was discussed briefly.