# Three New Physalins from Physalis Alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino

## TL;DR

This study identifies three new physalin compounds from Physalis Alkekengi L. var. franchetii, which show potential antitumor activity.

## Contribution

The discovery of three new physalin compounds and their antitumor potential in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation.

## Key findings

- Three new physalins (physalin VIII, physalin IX, and a hydroxylated derivative) were isolated from Physalis Alkekengi L. var. franchetii calyxes.
- Physalin D showed better tumor cell proliferation inhibition than cisplatin in five tumor cell lines.
- The physalin compounds exhibit potential for antitumor drug development and health food applications.

## Abstract

Physalis Alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino (PAF), which is used in both food and medicine, has a long history of about 1800 years of application in China. There are many active constituents in the calyx of PAF. Physalins and physalins with a single oxygen bridge are the unique components of the PAF calyx. Physalins with multiple biological activities, including anticancer activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, etc., have been found. As such, physalins deserve to be studied further. In this study, we aimed to extract, separate, and identify the effective components of physalins from the calyx of PAF and investigate ability to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cell lines. Three new physalins, physalin VIII (1), 3α-hydroxy-2,3,25,27-tetrahydro-4,7-didehydro-7-deoxyneophysalin A (2), and physalin IX (3), along with three known compounds, physalin L (4), physalin D (5), and alkekengilin A (6) were isolated from PAF calyxes. Physalin D was superior to the positive control drug cisplatin in inhibiting the proliferation of five tumor cell lines. The physalin compounds exhibited potential antitumor activity, being deemed worthy of further research in the fields of antitumor drug development and the application in health foods.