The metabolic processes in the human body, inevitably, often produce harmful free radicals. These free radicals have been shown to possibly contribute to aging and various diseases, such as atherosclerosis and cancer.1-2) Therefore, it is important to identify effective radical scavengers to help relieve the damaging effects of free radicals. Our screening program for potent antioxidants from natural products have confirmed that polyphenolic compounds present in foods of plant origin do have strong radical scavenging and oxidationinhibiting effects. For example, the phenylethanoid glycosides from Brandisia hancei were found to have potent antioxidative properties.
3)Recently, our attention focused on the fruit of Ligustrum lucidum AIT. (Oleaceae), which is known as "Nuzhenzi" in China. It is commonly used in Chinese medicine to supplement "kidneys", nourish "yin", strengthen liver and clear vision.4) Previous studies reported that the fruit of L. lucidum has immunomodulatory, 5) hypolipemic, 6) antiinflammatory, 7) hepatoprotective, 8) antitumor 9) and antiaging effects. 10) Related species of the same genus showed inhibitory effect on acyl CoA cholesteryl acyltransferase, 11) and immunomodulatory 12) and anticomplementary activities. 13) These biological effects appear to support some of the ethnomedical claims. Chemical studies have found volatile components, triterpenes, flavonoids, secoiridoid glucosides, and phenolic compounds from this plant, and constituents such as phenylethanoids, monoterpenes, and secoiridoid glucosides from other Ligustrum species. 11,[14][15][16][17][18][19] In our screening program, ethanol extract of the fruits of L. lucidum showed antioxidative effect. Through bioassayguided analysis, ten secoiridoid glucosides were isolated from the active fractions. Two of the secoiridoid glucosides, lucidumosides C (9) and D (10), were new. Here we report the antioxidative activity of these constituents of Nuzhenzi against hemolysis of red blood cells (RBC) induced by free radicals, and also the structure elucidation of compounds 9 and 10.The fruits of L. lucidum were extracted with ethanol and the ethanol extract showed significant inhibitory effects (IC 50 ϭ125 mg/ml) on the hemolysis of RBC induced by free radicals (Fig. 1). The ethanol extract was partitioned with water into an aqueous fraction (A) and an insoluble fraction (B). The bioactivity of the ethanol extract against hemolysis of RBC test system was found concentrated in fraction A (IC 50 ϭ40 mg/ml). This fraction A was chromatographed on a porous polymer gel D-101 column with water, 60% aqueous ethanol and ethanol, to give fractions A1, A2 and A3 (Fig. 2). The biological activity was found concentrated in fraction A2, IC 50 being 31 mg/ml. From the active fraction A2, two new secoiridoid glucosides, lucidumosides C (9) and D (10), were isolated together with eight known secoiridoid glucosides, oleoside dimethyl ester (1), ligustroside (2), oleuropein (3), nuezhenide (4), isonuezhenid (5), neonuezhenide (6), lucidumoside A (7) and ...