Anti-Complementary Activity of Protostane-Type Triterpenes from Alismatis Rhizoma

Four protostane-type triterpenes, alisol B 23-acetate (1a), alisol C 23-acetate (2a), alisol B(3a), and alisol A 24-acetate (4a), were isolated from the rhizome of Alismatis plantago-aquatica L. var. orientale Samuelson (Alismataceae) and eleven protostane derivatives (compounds 1-11) were obtained by selective modification from alisol B 23-acetate (1a). These compounds were investigated for their anti-complement activity against the classical pathway of the complement system. Alisol B (3a) and alisol A 24-acetate (4a) exhibited anti-complement activity with $IC_{50} values of 150 and 130 \mu$ M. Among the synthetic derivatives, the tetrahydroxylated protostane triterpene (9) showed moderate inhibitory activity with $IC_{50} value of 97.1 \mu$ M. Introduction of an aldehyde group at C-23 (10; $IC_{50} value, 47.7 \mu$ M) showed the most potent inhibitory effect on the complement system in vitro.