Furostanol saponins from Chinese onion induce G2/M cell-cycle arrest an apoptosis through mitochondria-mediate pathway in HepG2 cells

Phytochemical investigations on the bulbs of Chinese onion led to the isolation of three new furostanol saponins (1, 2, 5) together with seven known furostanol saponins (3, 4, 6-10). Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods, including IR, MS, NMR, and GC analyses. The anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities of the isolates were evaluated. Compounds 7-10 showed potential anti-proliferative activities against human cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, SPC-A-1, MGC80-3, MDA-MB-231, SW620 and CNE-1) with IC50 values below 30 mu M. Compounds 4 and 7 could induce G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis through mitochondria-mediate pathway in HepG2 cells. Compounds 7 and 10 showed strong inhibitory effects against LPS induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 2.01 +/- 1.40 mu M and 2.49 +/- 1.54 mu M, respectively.