Chemical Constituents of the Fruits of Cornus Officinalis and Evaluation of their Neuroprotective Activity

Abstract The phytochemical investigation of the fruits of Cornus officinalis yielded a new phenolic acid derivative, neophenolic acid A ( 1 ), and a novel flavonoid glycoside, (2 R )‐naringenin‐7‐ O ‐ β ‐(6′′‐galloyl‐glucopyranoside) ( 2 a ), along with six known flavonoid glycosides ( 2 b – 7 ). Their structures were determined by 1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of 1 was established by ECD analysis. Compounds 1 – 7 were evaluated for their neuroprotective activities against corticosterone (CORT)‐induced injury in PC‐12 cells. Compounds 1 , 2 a , 2 b , 5 , and 6 exhibited neuroprotective activities against CORT‐induced neurotoxicity in PC‐12 cells. The underlying mechanism study suggested that compounds 1 , 2 a , 2 b , 5 , and 6 were able to attenuate CORT‐induced apoptosis and damage, increase the levels of MMP and decrease Ca 2+ inward flow in PC‐12 cells.