An anticoagulant polysaccharide was separated from Alisma canaliculatum (Kweon et al., 1996). Nine fructose-derived carbohydrates were obtained from the methanol extract of the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis.
Their structures were determined to be α-D-fructofuranose, β-D-fructofuranose, ethyl α-D-fructofuranoside, ethyl β-D-fructofuranoside, 5-hydroxymethyl-furfuraldehyde, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose and verbascose, along with two oligosaccharides of manninotriose and verbascotetraose (Zhang et al., 2009a).
A glucan and two acidic polysaccharides (alisman P II and alisman P III F) were isolated from the tubers of Alisma orientalis.
The glucan is composed solely of D-glucose and has a high-branched glucan type structure mainly composed of α-1,4-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues with partially α-1,6-linked units and both 3,4- and 4,6-branching units (Shimizu et al., 1994).
Alisman P II is composed of L-arabinose : D-galactose : D-glucuronic acid in the molar ratio of 4:9:2, in addition to some O-acetyl groups (Tomoda et al., 1994). Alisman P III F is composed of L-arabinose : D-galactose : L-rhamnose : D-galacturonic acid : D-glucuronic acid in molar ratio of 1:5:3:8:2; in addition to small amounts of O-acetyl groups and peptide moieties (Tomoda et al., 1993).
The isolation and characterization of hemagglutinating protein from the rhizomes of Alisma orientale were reported (Park et al., 1995).
The review of the chemical constituents of Alisma orientalis indicated that the terpenoids from the plant include triterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and diterpenoids and that triterpenoids are the main constituents (Zhu and Peng, 2006).
There are several reviews on the chemicalconstituents, and pharmacological actions of Alisma orientalis (e.g. Hikino, 1986; Yin andWu, 2001; Zhu and Peng, 2006; Yi et al., 2007; Lin et al., 2009; Wang and Fan, 2009; Xiaoet al., 2009; Zhou et al., 2010). Guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids have been isolated fromAlisma orientalis (Sam.) Juzep. viz. alismol (14), alismoxide (15), orientalols A (16), B (17),C (18), E (19) and F (20) (Yoshikawa et al., 1992; Peng and Lou, 2001a; Chen et al., 2002;Peng et al., 2003), and alismorientols A1 and B (Jiang et al., 2007).
Four sulphatedsesquiterpenes were isolated from Alisma orienalis viz. the four biologically activesulfoorientalols A-D (Yoshikawa et al., 1993a, 1994) and orientanone (Peng et al., 2002c).Yamaguchi et al. (1994b) isolated a diterpene, 16 (R)-(-)-kaurane-2,12-dione (21) from thefresh rhizomes of Alisma orientalis. Oriediterpenol (22) and oriediterpenoside (23) (entkauranediterepenes) were identified from the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis (Peng and Lou,2002).
Several protostane triterpenes (protostane, nor-protostane and seco-protostane types) havebeen also isolated from Alisma orientalis (Sam.) Juzep. (Alisma orientale Juzepcz).
The driedrhizome of the plant is a common traditional Chinese medicine known as Rhizoma Alismatisor Zexie. According to Zhao et al. (2008) and Zhou et al (2010), the protostane triterpenes occur, so far, in Alisma plants, and they are considered to be chemotaxonomic marker of thegenus. Protostane triterpenes, isolated from Alisma orientalis are: alisol A (24), 11deoxyalisol A, alisol A 24-acetate, 13β,17β-epoxyalisol A, alisol B (25), alisol B-23 acetate,25-O-methylalisol A, 11-deoxyalisol B and its 23-acetate 13,17-epoxyalisol B-23, acetate,alisol C 23-acetate, 11-desoxyalisol C, alisol D (26), 25-anhydroalisol A-24-acetate, 25anhydroalisol A, alisol E 23-acetate, alisol F (27), alisol G, alismalactone 23-acetate,alismaketone-A-23-acetate, alisol F 24-acetate, alisol H (28), alisol I (29), alisol J-23 acetate(30), alisol K 23-acetate, alisol L-23-acetate, alisol M 23-acetate, alisol N 23-acetate,alisolide (31), alisol O (32), alisol P (33), 11,25-anhydroalisol F, 25-anhydroalisol F, 11anhydroalisol F, alizexol A (34) and others (Miyamoto et al., 1969a,b; Murata andMiyamoto, 1970, 1971; Murata et al., 1970b; Fukuyama et al., 1988; Yoshikawa et al.,1993a,b,d, 1997, 1999, 2006; Nakajima et al., 1994; Zeng et al., 1995; Matsuda et al., 1999;Zhang et al. 2009b; Peng et al., 2002a,b; Hu et al., 2008b-d; Zhao et al., 2008).
Seventeen volatile components were determined in Alisma orientalis; the componentswere mainly sesquiterpenes composed of δ-elemene, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, ethylcaproate, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, 2-pentyl furan, etc. (Li and Wu, 2009).β-Sitosterol, β-sitosterol-3-O-stearate, tricosane, glyceryl-1-stearate, daucosterol 6′-Ostearateand emodin, were isolated from Alisma orientalis (Cai et al., 1996).
Dulcitol anduridine were also isolated from the rhizomes of the same species (Peng et al., 1999).
Hong et al. (2008) studied the diuretic constituents of Alisma orientalis and identified thefollowing compounds: 4-pyrazin-2-yl-but-3-ene,1,2-diol, nicotinamide, glycerol palmitate,and 1-monolinolein. Amentoflavone, robustaflavone and 2,2′,4-trihydroxychalcone wereidentified from the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis (Hu et al., 2008b).