Constituents from the Roots of Semiaquilegia adoxoides

In present literature search, some cyano‐containing compounds, which are very rare in plants, from the traditional anticancer herb Tiankuizi were reported. To find more cyano‐containing compounds in the important plant Semiaquilegia adoxoides (DC) Makino (Chinese name Tiankuizi), the isolation of the chemical constituents was investigated for advancing the research. Two new compounds, a new alkaloid, 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐6‐hydroxy‐1‐ [(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)methyl]‐7‐methoxy‐2,2‐dimethyl‐isoquinolinium, named Semiaquilegine A (1), and a new ester, 3‐(4′‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐propenoic acid (4′′‐carboxyl)‐phenyl ester (2), and four cyano‐containing compounds, (Z)‐6α‐(β‐D‐glucosyloxy)‐4α,5α‐dihydroxy‐2‐cyclohexene‐Δ1,α‐acetonitrile (3), (Z)‐6α‐(β‐D‐glucosyloxy)‐4α‐hy‐droxy‐2‐cyclohexene‐Δ1,α‐acetonitrile (4), lithospermoside (5), ehretioside B (6), as well as eleven known compounds, were isolated from the roots of Semiaquilegia adoxoides. The structures of new compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated mainly by 1D/2D‐NMR techniques. Very unusual cyano‐containing compounds 3 and 4 were first isolated from Ranunculaceae family. Hitherto, there were six cyano‐containing compounds found in the herb.