ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the chemical constituents from the herbs of Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum. Methods: The compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel, MCI gel, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies, semi-preparative HPLC, and their structures were mainly elucidated on the basis of physicochemical characteristics and spectral analysis. Results: Twelve compounds were isolated from 95% EtOH extract of E. nigrum var. japonicum, and were identified as 3β-hydroxy-nigrum-21-en (1), 4'-hydroxy-α, β-dihydrochalcone-2'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 5-(2-phenylethyl)-3-hydroxyphenol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 2', 4'-dihydroxy-chalcone (4), 2'-methoxy-4'-hydroxy-α, β-dihydrochalcone (5), phenylpropionic acid (6), cinnamyl alcohol (7), quercetin (8), (-)-epicatechin (9), quercetin-3-O-α-L-arabinoside (10), hyperoside (11), and 8-methoxyquercetin-3-glucoside (12), respectively. Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new triterpenoid and compound 2 is a new dihydrochalcone.