Chemical constituents and biological activities of the whole plant of Cuscuta chinensis Lam.

A total of twenty-one compounds were obtained from the whole plant of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. The compounds' structures were identified as 3-hydroxy-N-phenethylpropanamide (1), (+)-pinoresinol-O-β-D- glucopyranoside (2), simplexoside (3), (+)-pinoresinol (4), scopoletin (5), (-)-loliolide (6), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (7), (+)-syringaresinol (8), medioresinol (9), 3,4-dehydrotheaspirone (10), 2-ethoxy-1H-pyrimidine-4,6-dione (11), ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate(12), hydroquinone (13), vanillic acid (14), β-daucosterol (15), methyl 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoate (16), roseoside (17), vomifoliol (18), pyrocatechol (19), E-p-coumaric acid (20), Z-p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid (21). Among them, ten compounds (1,3,5,6,10,11,16,17,18,19) were isolated from this plant for the first time, while compound 1 was isolated as an undescribed natural compound. Moreover, the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts indicated potential bioactivity, and compound 2 showed certain anti-inflammatory activity. This study provides a scientific basis for elucidating the composites and activity of C. chinensis.