Isolation of phenolics, nucleosides, saccharides and an alkaloid from the root of Aralia cordata

Fourteen compounds were isolated from the n-BuOH fraction of the roots of Aralia cordata (syn. = A. continentalis). Through spectroscopic method, the chemical structures were elucidated as: caffeic acid (1), protocatechuic acid (2), thymidine (3), uridine (4), methyl-α-D-fructofuranoside (5), a mixture (3: 1) of β-D-fructopyranoside and β-D-fructofuranoside (6), 1-methyl 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (7), methyl-β-D-fructofuranoside (8), sucrose (9), 5-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) (10), 3-caffeoylquinic acid (neochlorogenic acid) (11), 4-caffeoylquinic acid (cryptochlorogenic acid) (12), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (13), and 1-kestose [β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2 → 1)-β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2 → 1)-α-D-glucopyranoside] (14). Among them, compounds 5, 7, 8, and 10 - 14 were isolated from this plant for the first time.