| Study the chemical constituents of the leaves of Desmodium caudatum (Thunb.) DC., in order to provide material basis for the establishment of quality standard system for D. caudatum. Methods: The chemical constituents from the 70% EtOH extracts from the leaves of D. caudatum were isolated and purified by means of macroporous resin column chromatography, silica gel column chromatography, and preparative HPLC et al, and their structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. Results: Thirteen compounds were isolated from the leaves of D. caudatum, these compounds were identified as: desmodol (1), citrusinol (2), 8-prenylquercetin (3), dihydrokaempferol (4), neophellamuretin (5), yukovanol (6), quercetin (7), kaempferol (8), vitexin (9), swertisin (10), soyasapogenel B (11), hibiscone A (12) and hibiscone D (13). Among them, compounds 7, 8, 12 and 13 were common constituents in various officinal parts of D. caudatum. Conclusion: Compounds 7, 8, 12 and 13 can be used as candidate constituents of quality markers of D. caudatum. |