An extensive phytochemical study on the stems and leaves of Schisandra viridis A. C. Smith led to the isolation of two novel highly oxygenated schinortriterpenoids, pre-schisanartanin P ( 1 ) and wuweizidilactone Q ( 2 ), together with four known ones ( 3–6 ). Their structures with absolute configurations were established on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic methods, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR analyses and ECD experiments. All isolates were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicities against HepG2, MCF-7 and HT-29 cancer cell lines, none of them showed significant activities.
Schisandra sphenanthera and Schisandra chinensis are widely consumed either as food or for medicinal purposes. Nevertheless, no detailed comparative assessments of their physicochemical properties and biological activity have been reported. In this paper, using hot-water extraction, alcohol precipitation, and deproteinization, we obtained polysaccharidic extracts from Schisandra sphenanthera and Schisandra chinensis (denoted as SSP and SCP, respectively) and investigated their antioxidant and immunological activities. The extracts were different from each other with regard to sugar, protein, and uronic acid contents. Both extracts were mainly composed of arabinose, glucose, and galactose, but their contents varied greatly; SSP had more galacturonic acid. Compared with SCP, SSP had stronger free radical scavenging ability, protective effects on biomolecules, cellular antioxidant activity, owing to its higher protein (35.35 ± 1.73%) and uronic acid (12.81 ± 1.15%) contents. With respect to cell viability, neutral red phagocytosis, NO production, and acid phosphatase activity, SCP had stronger effects than SSP; this was largely due to its high levels of mannose, galactose, arabinose, and glucose. These results provide evidence to support the use Schisandra -derived polysaccharides for several purposes, including clinical, agricultural, and industrial applications.