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The chemical constituents of 60% EtOH extract of yacon leaves were separated to yield a new compound, together with four known compounds, which were isolated for the first time from yacon. The new compound was characterised and named as chlorodalin (1) on the basis of NMR (1D and 2D), HR-MS and other spectral methods. The cytotoxic activities of 1-5 were evaluated on two human tumour cell lines and the new compound showed significant cytotoxic activity.

Polysaccharides from Baizhu were separated by preparative hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography on an XAmide column and its components were characterised as inulin-type polysaccharides with structures of α-D-glucopyranosyl-[-(1 → 2) -β-D-fructofuranosyl-](n -1)-(1 → 2) -β-D-fructofuranoside (n = 3-20) by a combinatory application of electrospray-ionisation mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and IR, as well as the chemical analysis of monosaccharide composition. In addition, the contents of nystose and 1F-fructofranosylnystose in the crude and purified Baizhu polysaccharides were determined to be 5.81%, 4.92% and 0.70%, 0.84% (w/w), respectively. In addition, MTT assay indicated that the Baizhu polysaccharides could effectively promote spleen lymphocyte transformation for the enhancement of organism immunity. It is for the first time that inulin-type polysaccharides were discovered in Baizhu and its immuno-enhancing activity was reported, which is a vigorous evidence to explain the efficacy of Baizhu.

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique was developed for the determination of arctigenin in plasma and various organs of rats after the oral administration of 30, 50 and 70 mgkg(-1) of arctigenin to the Sprague-Dawley rats. Results showed that the validated HPLC method was simple, fast, reproducible and suitable to the determination of arctigenin in rat plasma and organ tissue and one-compartmental model with zero-order absorption process can well describe the changes of arctigenin concentration in the plasma. The concentration of compound was highest in the spleen, less in the liver and the least in the lung.

(-)-Arctigenin, an important active constituent of the traditional Chinese herb Fructus Arctii, was found to exhibit various bioactivities, so it can be used as a good lead compound for further structure modification in order to find a safer and more potent medicine. (-)-Arctigenin derivatives 1-5 of (-)-arctingen were obtained by modifying with ammonolysis at the lactone ring and sulphonylation at C (6') and C (6″) and O-demethylation at CH3O-C (3'), CH3O-C (3″) and CH3O-C (4″), and their anticancer bioactivities were examined.

Two new oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins were isolated from the husks of Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge and their structures were elucidated as 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl (1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 → 2) [β-D-glucopyranosyl (1 → 6)] β-D-glucopyranosyl-21β,22α-dihydroxyl-olean-12,15-diene and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl (1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 → 2) [β-D-glucopyranosyl (1 → 6)] β-D-glucopyranosy-21β,22α-dihydroxyl-olean-12-ene. Meanwhile, the cytotoxic activities of these two compounds were tested on human gastric cancer cell (SGC-7901) and hepatoma carcinoma cell (HepG-2).

The extract from the leaves of Smallantus sonchifolius (yacon) was found to show potent anti-diabetic activity. Two new diterpenes, named ent-kaurane-3beta,16beta,17, 19-tetrol (1) and ent-kaurane-16beta,17,18,19-tetrol (2), were isolated from the extract, together with six known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence.

Seven compounds were isolated from roots and stems of Oplopanax elatus, of which compounds 3, 4, 5 and 6 were isolated for the first time from the title plant; compounds 1 and 2 are new compounds and characterised to be 3,3'-dimethoxy-4,9,9'-trihydroxy-4',7-epoxy-5'8-lignan-4,9-bis-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 5-methoxylariciresinol-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of NMR spectra and CD spectrum.