STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF SWERTIA CINCTA BURKILL

Five compounds were isolated from ethanolic extract of Swertia eincta Burkill which has been used in the treatment of infective hepatitis in folk medicine. The main components of the ethanolic extract are new triterpenoid saponins, named swericinctoside (Ⅰ) and oleanolic acid (Ⅵ).Swericinctoside, C₄₈H₇₈O₁₉, was obtained as white crystalline needles, mp 132～5℃, α_D²⁰—0°(c, 4.0, absolute ethanol), its dodeca-acetate, mp 155～8℃, its structure was elucidated to be 2 α, 3β-dihydroxyl-olean-12-ene-olie acid-28-O-β-Dglucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside(Ⅰ) mainly by spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, MS, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR) and chemical methods. In pharmacological test, swericinctoside exhibited anti-inflammatory activity.The other three compounds were identified to be maslinic acid (Ⅱ), aglycone of swericinctoside, 1,3,7,8-tetrahydroxyl-xanthone (Ⅴ) and β-sitosterol(Ⅶ).