Serratane triterpenoids from Lycopodium complanatum and their anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities

[Display omitted] •Eight new serratane triterpenoids were isolated from Lycopodium complanatum.•The absolute configurations of 6–8 were determined by DFT GIAO 13C NMR calculations.•The cytotoxic activities were assessed on seven different human cancer cell lines.•All compounds could inhibit the NO release of RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS. Phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate fraction of Lycopodium complanatum led to eight new serratane triterpenoids (lycomplanatums A-H, 1–8), along with five known analogues (9–13). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D/2D NMR, HRESIMS, and DFT GIAO 13C NMR calculation. Among them, compounds 2 and 13 showed moderate antiproliferative effects against seven human cancer cell lines, especially for MCF-7 with IC50 values of 13.8–44.7 μM. Additionally, the compounds were screened for anti-inflammatory effects based on their inhibitory activities of nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW264.7 cells, and compounds 2 and 13 diminished NO production more potently than others in a concentration-dependent manner.