Two unique polyphenolic compounds featuring a 6/6/7/6/5 fused skeleton, sotodisoflavanones A and B (1 and 2), and two novel 2-arylbenzofuran dimers shandougenines C and D (3 and 4) were isolated from the roots of Sophora tonkinensis. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 1 and 5-7 showed significant PTP1B inhibition (IC50 = 2.70 ± 0.50, 0.88 ± 0.17, 2.70 ± 0.50, 1.90 ± 0.40 μM, respectively) and enhanced insulin sensitivity by promoting HepG2 cell glucose consumption.
Xq et al. (Wed,) studied this question.