Anti-liver fibrotic lignans from the fruits of Schisandra arisanensis and Schisandra sphenanthera

Three new polyoxygenated C(18)-dibenzocyclooctadiene Lignans, arisanschinins M and N (1 and 2) and schisphenin A (3), together with eight related metabolites (4-11), were isolated from the fruits of Schisandra arisanensis and Schisandra sphenanthera, respectively. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic and 2D NMR (HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY) analyses. The configuration of the biphenyl moiety in the octadiene ring was determined by circular dichroism (CD). Compound 1 possessed an unprecedented 3-(1-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-3-methyl-1,4-dioxo-2-one lactonide ring system attaching at C-6/C-14. Pharmacological studies revealed that compounds 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10 exhibited significant anti-hepatic fibrosis activity, while 9 and 11 showed cytotoxicity against HSC-T6 cells. The biogenetic pathway for compound 1 was also proposed.