Analysis of phytoecdysteroids in cultured plants of Ajuga nipponensis makino.

Cultured plants of Ajuga nipponensis contained cyasterone (1), ajugasterone C (2), cyasterone-22-acetate (3) and 22-dehydrocyasterone (4) based on HPLC and NMR data, whereas 20-hydroxyecdysone was not detectable. The presence of compounds 2 4 is reported for the first time in this species. Compound 1 is the main phytoecdysteroid component found in both preblossom and blossom plants, but the latter contained higher amount than the former. Compared with other parts of the plant, the highest percentage of 1 and 3 occurred in leaves, amounting to 60.1% and 88.0% respectively, whereas the flowers contained mainly 2, which represented 72.8% of the total amount in whole plant. The contents of phytoecdysteroids in stems were very low.