Compounds from Rehmannia glutinosa and the activity to suppress α-glucosidase

Rehmannia glutinosa was extensively used to control blood sugar in diabetes treatment in tradition Chinese medicine. In the present study, three new compounds, including an iridoid rehmannia A (1) and two ionone rehmannias B-C (7-8), together with fourteen known compounds (2-6 and 9-17), were isolated from the roots of R. glutinosa. The structures of these compounds were determined by physicochemical constants and spectral analysis (1D, 2D-NMR and MS). The effect of 1-17 on α-glucosidase activity was tested in vitro. Compounds 9, 10, and 11 (IC₅₀: 5.0, 3.1, and 6.3 mM) showed moderate activity to suppress α-glucosidase relative to acarbose (IC₅₀ = 3.0 mM). The findings provided some new insights to understand the hypoglycemic effect of R. glutinosa and the development towards the α-glucosidase inhibitor drugs.