Abstract
The aqueous extracts of three species of Buddleja which are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver ailments have shown
an inhibitory effect against induced cytotoxicity of cultured hepatocytes. Fractionation
of one of these extracts, from B. globosa leaves, resulted in the isolation of five iridoids, two phenylpropide glycosides,
and a flavonoid glycoside. Two of the iridoids were found to be novel compounds, 7-p-methoxycinnamoylaucubin (1) and 7-p-methoxycinnamoylcatalposide (2). One of the phenylpropides, echinacoside, has not previously been reported from
Buddleja. Testing of the isolated compounds in the cultured hepatocyte system indicated that
the activity is most likely due to the flavonoid and phenylpropide constituents. Phenylpropide
glycosides have not previously been shown to have a liver-protectant effect.
1 1 Liver-protectant drugs, Part 38; for Part 37, see: Konno, C., Oshima, Y., Hikino,
H., Yang, L.-L., Yen, K.-Y. (1988) Planta Med. 54, 417-419
4 Part of the thesis of J. Heilmann
