Eleven undescribed cucurbitane-type triterpene saponins isolated from the whole plant of Picria fel-terrae Lour.

Eleven previously undescribed cucurbitane-type triterpene saponins, including picfeloside A-K (1-11), together with five known analogues (12-16), were isolated and characterized from the whole plant of Picria fel-terrae Lour. The structures of undescribed compounds were elucidated by a comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic analysis, various quantum chemical calculations. The structure of compounds 1, 8 and 12 was unequivocally defined using X-ray diffraction analyses. Furthermore, they were assessed for their hepatoprotective activities, anti-inflammatory activities, and their cytotoxicity. Compounds 5 and 8 possessed hepatoprotective effect on the damage caused by paracetamol in HepG2 cells at 10 μM.