A new flavonoid isolated from the roots of Rumex crispus L. with anti-NAFLD activity.

A phytochemical investigation of the roots of Rumex crispus led to the isolation of fourteen distinct compounds. Their structures were elucidated through comprehensive analysis of 1D, 2D-NMR, UV and IR spectroscopic data, along with comparison with literature values. Among them, a hybrid compound comprising a flavan-3-ol and a chromone moiety was identified as a new, previously undescribed natural product, designated 3-O-(2″-methyl-5″-acetyl-7″-hydroxychromone)-epicatechin (1). The anti-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (anti-NAFLD) activities of these isolates were thoroughly evaluated, yielding promising results for potential therapeutic development. An intracellular hyperlipidemic state was modelled by establishing a HepG2 cell model of lipid accumulation, induced with a sodium palmitate-oleate mixture (P-O, 0.2-0.4 mM). This model was employed to assess the potential of the compounds to alleviate lipid droplet aggregation. The results demonstrated that compounds 1, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 12 exhibited potent inhibitory effects on intracellular lipid accumulation, with inhibition rates of 81.3%, 79.8%, 79.4%, 71.0%, 76.8% and 77.0%, respectively. Furthermore, at a concentration of 100 μM, compound 1 significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). These findings provide new evidence supporting the search for active anti-NAFLD ingredients in R. crispus.