Chenietains A-G, undescribed phenylpropanoid-related compounds from Cheniella touranensis and their cytotoxic potential in vitro

  • Phytochemistry. 2026 Sep:249:114953. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2026.114953.
Xing-Ping Zhang  1 ,  Yun Wang  2 ,  Jia-Le Wang  3 ,  Wu-Yan Chen  1 ,  Wen-Jie Ma  4 ,  Yan-Heng Zhou  5 ,  Ming-Ming Li  6 ,  Kou Wang  7
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Pharmaceutical Science & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Yunnan College of Modern Biomedical Industry, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650500, China.
  • 2. School of Pharmaceutical Science & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Yunnan College of Modern Biomedical Industry, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650500, China; Xiamen Institute for Food and Drug Quality Control, Xiamen, 361012, China.
  • 3. College of Life Sciences, Yan'an University, Yan'an, 716000, China.
  • 4. Faculty of Basic Medical Science, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650500, China.
  • 5. College of Life Sciences, Yan'an University, Yan'an, 716000, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6. Yunnan Key Laboratory of Dai and Yi Medicines, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7. School of Pharmaceutical Science & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Yunnan College of Modern Biomedical Industry, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650500, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 42106133 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2026.114953
Abstract

Twenty-two phenylpropanoid-related compounds (PPRs), including seven undescribed compounds chenietains A-G (1-7), together with three previously unreported natural components (9-11) and twelve known analogues (8, 12-22), were isolated from the aerial parts of Cheniella touranensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of HR-ESI-MS, 1D/2D NMR, X-ray diffraction and ECD data. Chenietain A (1) possesses a previously unreported 6/6/6/5 tetracyclic ring system formed by an unusual fusion of a phenylacetamide and a benzofuran subunit. Chenietain D (4) is a butenolide dimer characterized by its unprecedented 6/5/5/6/5 oxygenated pentacyclic skeleton. A plausible biosynthetic pathway involving l-tyrosine or l-phenylalanine precursors is proposed. Bioactivity evaluation revealed that three nitrogenous PPRs (1, 9, and 12) showed cytotoxic potential in vitro against a range of human Cancer cell lines. Notably, compound 1 exhibited potent activity against K562 cells with an IC50 value of 15.56 ± 0.99 μg/mL, comparable to the positive control cisplatin. Compound 9 displayed broad-spectrum cytotoxicity against all tested cell lines.

Keywords
Cheniella touranensis; Cytotoxic potential in vitro; Fabaceae; Phenylpropanoid-related compounds.
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