Bioactive compounds from the fern Lepisorus contortus

Phytochemical investigation of the whole plant of Lepisorus contortus (Christ) Ching led to the isolation of five new phenylethanoid glycosides (1-5), each containing a caffeoyl group, a new flavonoid glycoside (10), and 14 known compounds (6-9 and 11-15, syringic acid, vanillic acid, phloretic acid, diplopterol, and β-sitosterol). This is the first report of phenylethanoid glycosides from the family Polypodiaceae. Compounds 1-15 were evaluated for their cancer chemopreventive potential based on their ability to inhibit tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced NF-κB activity, nitric oxide (NO) production, and aromatase, quinone reductase 2 (QR-2), and COX-1/-2 activities. Quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucoside (15) demonstrated inhibition against QR2 with an IC₅₀ value of 3.84 μM, which confirmed kaempferol/quercetin glycosides as the active compounds to inhibit QR2. The compound also demonstrated NF-κB activity with an IC₅₀ value of 33.6 μM. In addition, compounds 1, 2, 4, and 6 showed aromatase activity with IC₅₀ values of 30.7, 32.3, 26.8, and 35.3 μM, respectively.