Chemical constituents of Taxus chinensis var. mairei cell cultures

The chemical constituents of Taxus chinensis var. mairei cell cultures were investigated by chromatographic methods, including silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. Thirteen compounds were isolated from the 80% ethanol extract of cultured cells and their structures were elucidated by spectral data and physicochemical properties, which were identified as 2 α, 4 α, 7 β, 9 α, 10 β-pentaacetoxy-14 β-hydroxytax-11-ene (1), 2 α, 4 α, 7 β, 9 α, 10 β-pentaacetoxytax-11-ene (2), 1 β-deoxybaccatin VI (3), 2 α-acetoxytaxusin (4), taxuyunnanine C (5), yunnanxane (6), 2 α, 5 α, 10 β-triacetoxy-14 β-propionyloxy-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (7), 2 α, 5 α, 10 β-triacetoxy-14 β-isobutyryloxy-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (8), 2 α, 5 α, 10 β-triacetoxy-14 β-(2'-methyl)butyryloxy-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (9), 13-dehydroxylbaccatin III (10), 13-dehydroxy-10-deacetylbaccatin III (11), paclitaxel (12) and (13) β-sitosterol. Among them, compound 1 is a new compound, and compounds 2, 4, 10 and 11 are isolated from the cell culture of Taxus chinensis var. mairei for the first time.