Research on the Chemical Components of Yarrow Grass
There are about 200 species of Achillea (Asteraceae), widely distributed in the northern temperate zone. There are 10 species in China, and the compounds isolated from them mainly include sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, lignans, etc. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that this genus of plants has significant anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activities. Yarrow is the above ground dry part of Achillea alpine L., a plant in the Asteraceae family. It is also known as a branch of artemisia, alpine yarrow, or centipede. Yarrow grass has a bitter, sour, and neutral taste, and belongs to the lung, spleen, and bladder meridians. It has the functions of detoxifying and removing dampness, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Compound “Yarrow Grass Powder” can effectively improve gastric acid in ulcer disease. Yarrow grass is also commonly used in folk medicine to clear heat and detoxify. The Chinese Materia Medica describes that yarrow has good anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic activities. It is mainly distributed in Yunnan in southwestern China, Gansu in northwestern China, Henan and Shanxi in northern China, and harvested during flowering in summer and autumn. Modern pharmacological research has shown that the chemical components in yarrow have significant anti-inflammatory activity, as well as antioxidant, antiviral, antispasmodic, and therapeutic effects on gastric ulcers. However, there is currently a lack of research on the chemical components and related pharmacology of this plant system. Only a small amount of sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, and volatile oils have been reported so far. Therefore, in order to further understand the material basis of yarrow and improve its comprehensive resource utilization efficiency, this study isolated, purified, and structurally identified the chemical components of the 95% ethanol fraction of yarrow, and tested the activity of the isolated compounds in order to discover lead compounds with anti gastric cancer effects.

Through the extraction and separation of yarrow grass, a total of 16 monomeric compounds were obtained, among which compound 1 is a new amide compound. Compounds 4-6, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 16 were all isolated from yarrow plants for the first time, while compounds 8 and 11 were isolated from yarrow grass for the first time. Screening for anti-tumor activity of these compounds (gastric cancer cell lines MGC-803, MKN-45, HGC-27, and AGS) revealed that compounds 2, 5, and 9 of different structural types have selective inhibitory activity against MGC-803 gastric cancer cell lines, providing ideas for discovering lead compounds with selective anti gastric cancer effects. In the literature reports on yarrow grass, there are few reports on its chemical composition, and pharmacological research mainly focuses on anti-inflammatory activity, but there are few reports on its cytotoxic activity. For the first time, we systematically isolated the main chemical components contained in this plant and screened for its anti-tumor activity. Some compounds showed certain inhibitory activity against gastric cancer cells, laying a theoretical foundation for better development and utilization of this plant, enriching the types of chemical components in this plant, and exploring its effective active components.