Phenolic constituents from the roots of Strobilanthes sarcorrhiza C. Ling and their bioactivity

This research is the first to report the phytochemical investigation of Strobilanthes sarcorrhiza C. Ling. Thirty-three compounds were isolated and characterised (1 to 32), including a pair of undescribed isomers (1a and 1b), one undescribed phenolics (16), and 30 known compounds. Their structures were assessed via spectroscopic and chemical data. The protective effect of all compounds (62.5–500 nM) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 was tested. Compounds 1a, 1b, 10, 11–17, 21, 24, and 28–32 showed a significant increase in viability. The 1b potential targets against inflammatory diseases were predicted by network pharmacology, 43 pathways were identified, and chemokine signalling was significantly enriched. The 1b anti-inflammatory activities were further assessed in vitro in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells, which indicated that 1b exhibits an anti-inflammatory character by repressing p-AKT, p-PI3K, and p-NF-κB nuclear translocation and IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β expression. This research provides the basis for the application of S. sarcorrhiza as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.