Isolation of bioactive biphenyl compounds from the twigs of Chaenomeles sinensis.

Investigation of the MeOH extract of Chaenomeles sinensis twigs resulted in the isolation of seven biphenyl compounds (1-7) including a new compound, chaenomin (1). The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR data ((1)H and (13)C NMR, (1)H-(1)H COSY, HSQC and HMBC), specific optical rotation, and chemical reaction. Compounds 2 and 6 showed potent cytotoxic activities against four cancer cell lines (A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT15), and compound 7 exhibited potent anti-neuroinflammatory and NGF-potentiating activity.