Chemical constituents from the roots of Feroniella lucida

A new furanocoumarin named lucidafuranocoumarin A (7) together with 13 known coumarins (1–6, 8–14) and four known alkaloids (15–18) was isolated from the roots of Feroniella lucida. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Some of the isolates were evaluated for their biological activities, and compound 18 showed strong cytotoxicity against KB (IC₅₀ = 0.637 μg/ml) and NCI-H187 (IC₅₀ = 0.094 μg/ml) human cancer cell lines, antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (IC₅₀ = 0.336 μg/ml), and antituberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC = 6.25 μg/ml).     

New cyclomyrsinol diterpenes from Euphorbia aellenii with their immunomodulatory effects

Chloroform–acetone extract of the aerial parts of Euphorbia aellenii Rech. f. (Euphorbiaceae) was investigated for its diterpenoidal constituents. This led to the isolation of two new and one known cyclomyrsinol-type diterpenes 1–3. The structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques, and in vitro immunomodulatory activity was evaluated by standard proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Results showed that all the three compounds were found to inhibit lymphocyte proliferation significantly (p < 0.05) at 50 μg/ml concentration. Among them, compound 2 showed more activity against phytohemagglutinin-activated T-cell proliferation with an IC₅₀ of 40.4 ± 9.35 μg/ml.     

Triterpenoids with antioxidant activities from Myricaria squamosa

A new triterpenoid, namely myricarin C (compound 1), together with three known compounds myricarin A (compound 2) and myricarin B (compound 3), 3α-hydroxy-D-friedoolean-14-en-28-oic acid (compound 4), was isolated from the overground part of Myricaria squamosa. Compound 2 and compound 3 existed in the solution by the form of cis-trans isomers. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. The antioxidant properties of all compounds were calculated based on the DPPH radical scavenging activities. Results showed that myricarin A and myricarin C had general antioxidant activities with EC₅₀ values of 40.90 μg/ml, 42.22 μg/ml, respectively, compared to the control, rutin (5.17 μg/ml). The EC₅₀ values of myricarin B was 195.81 μg/ml. Compound 4 had no antioxidant activities.     

Total syntheses of surinone B,alatanones A–B,and trineurone A

The total syntheses of four polyketides, surinone B (1), alatanones A–B (2–3), and trineurone A (4) were accomplished through an efficient and unified strategy via one-pot C-acylation reaction coupling 1,3-cyclohexadiones with EDC-activated acids under mild conditions. Alatanone A (2) was found to be a potent anti-microbial agent against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC 31.25 μg/ml while alatanone B (3) was found to be a potent anti-fungal agent against Cladosporium cladosporioides with MIC 62.5 μg/ml compared to cycloheximide MIC 125 μg/ml. Our methodology allows performing kilogram scale of these scarce polyketides for the development of new antimicrobials.     

Cytotoxic flavonoids from the fruits of Derris indica

Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract from the fruits of Derris indica has led to the isolation of a new furanoflavonoid derivative, 4′-hydroxypinnatin (1), and five known compounds. Pinnatin (2) showed strong cytotoxicity against cholangiocarcinoma (KKU-100) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 6.0 ± 2.7 and 9.0 ± 4.1 μg/ml, respectively, and showed maximal cell killing effect of about 88–90%. Flavone 5 exhibited the most cytotoxicity against KKU-100 but it showed moderate efficacy (Emax = 50.7%).     

Antimalarial and cytotoxic quassinoids from the roots of Brucea javanica

Two new quassinoids, brujavanol A (1) and brujavanol B (2), along with five known quassinoids (3–7), were isolated from the roots of Brucea javanica. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The antimalarial and cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds were also assessed. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant in vitro cytotoxicity against human oral cavity cancer (KB) cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.30 and 2.36 μg/ml, respectively, whereas compound 3 showed excellent antiplasmodial activity against the Plasmodium falciparum strains, K1 (IC₅₀ = 0.58 μg/ml).     

Triterpene saponins with α-glucosidase inhibition and cytotoxic activity from the leaves of Schefflera sessiliflora

From the leaves of Schefflera sessiliflora De P. V., two new triterpene saponins including one oleanane-type saponin, named scheffleraside C (1) and one lupane-type saponin scheffleraside D (2), together with six known triterpene saponins (3–8), were isolated by various chromatography methods. Among them, 3 was found for the first time from natural sources, while 6–8 were isolated for the first time from the genus Schefflera. Their structures were elucidated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, NMR 1D and 2D experiments, and comparison of their NMR data with previously reported data. Their α-glucosidase inhibition and cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines were evaluated. The isolates (1, 3–5, 8) showed stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 5.99–76.58 μM) than the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 214.50 μM). At the concentration of 100 μg/ml, the isolates (1, 2) showed appreciable cytotoxic activity (67.92, 63.83%, respectively).     

Bioactive triterpenoids from Atriplex lasiantha

Chromatographic purification of the ethyl acetate soluble fraction from the methanolic extract of Atriplex lasiantha yielded a new triterpenoid, 7β,15α,16β-trihydroxyolean-12-ene-28,30-dioic acid-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (1), along with two known triterpenoids, rotundifolioside I (2) and corchorusin B (3). Structures of the compounds 1–3 were elucidated through sophisticated NMR studies and high resolution mass spectrometry. The three isolates (1–3) were evaluated for antibacterial, antioxidant, and antiurease activities. Compound 2 exhibited the best antibacterial activity against Escherichiacoli with IC₅₀ value of 66.25 μg/ml, whereas, all the tested compounds exhibited antioxidant (IC₅₀ values of 68.7–75.4 μg/ml) and antiurease (IC₅₀ values of 25.5–49.3 μg/ml) activities, respectively.     

Two new 2-(2-Hydroxy-2-phenylethyl)chromens from agarwood originating from Aquilaria crassna

Two new 2-(2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl)chromones (1?2), along with three known 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones (3?5), were isolated from the agarwood originating from Aquilaria crassna Pierre ex Lecomte. Their structures were determined by the spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR analysis and comparison with reported data in the literature. All the compounds were isolated from agarwood of A. crassna for the first time. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with 17.4 ± 0.6 and 15.8 ± 0.7%, respectively, at a concentration of 50 μg/ml. Besides, Compound 3 expressed antibacterial activities against Ralstonia solanacearum with diameter of the inhibition zone of 6.80 ± 0.08 mm at a concentration of 10 mg/ml.     

(±) Cochlearoids N–P: three pairs of phenolic meroterpenoids from the fungus Ganoderma cochlear and their bioactivities

Three pairs of meroterpenoids (±) cochlearoids N–P (1–3) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma cochlear. Their structures including absolute configurations were assigned by spectroscopic techniques. All the isolated compounds were tested for their inhibitory activities toward BRD4, human cancer cells, and micro-organisms. The results show that the enantiomers of (±)-1 are BRD4 inhibitors, (?)-1 and (+)-3 are cytotoxic against human cancer cells (K562) with IC₅₀ values of 7.68 and 6.68 μM, respectively. Besides compounds (±)-2 and (±)-3 exhibit potent inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus with IC₅₀ values in the range of 5.43–17.99 μM.     

Simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic analysis of seven alkaloids and two flavonoids from rat plasma by HPLC–DAD after oral administration of Wuzhuyu decoction

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic analysis of seven alkaloids dehydroevodiamine (DHED), 10-hydroxyrutaecarpine (HDR), evodiamine (EDM), rutaecarpine (RCP), 1-methyl-2-n-nonyl-4(1H)quinolone (MNQ), evocarpine (ECP), and dihydroevocarpine (DHE), and two flavonoids isorhamnetin-7-O-rutinoside (RIM) and diosmetin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (GRD) in rat plasma after oral administration of Wuzhuyu decoction. The flow rate was kept at 1.0 ml/min and the detection wavelength was set at 300 nm. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5013–30.076 μg/ml for DHED, 0.2161–21.608 μg/ml for RIM, 0.161–12.876 μg/ml for HDR, 0.2146–21.457 μg/ml for GRD, 2.0464–40.928 μg/ml for EDM, 1.0398–31.194 μg/ml for RCP, 0.5970–35.818 μg/ml for MNQ, 0.8371–20.928 μg/ml for ECP, and 0.5167–31.003 μg/ml for DHE. The precision (relative standard deviation (RSD), %) for all was less than 10% and the accuracy (relative error (RE), %) was within ± 10%. The results demonstrated that the assay had remarkable reproducibility with acceptable accuracy and precision. The lower limit of quantifications for the compounds in plasma ranged from 0.12 to 0.23 μg/ml and the lower limit of detections ranged from 0.024 to 0.076 μg/ml. This validated method has been successfully applied in the pharmacokinetics study of seven alkaloids and two flavonoids after orally administrating the Wuzhuyu decoction to rats.     

Cytototoxic constituents from the bark of Chisocheton cumingianus (Meliaceae)

A new lanostane-type triterpenoid, 3β-hydroxy-25-ethyl-lanost-9(11),24(24′)-diene (1), along with 3β-hydroxy-lanost-7-ene (2) and β-sitosterol-3-O-acetate (3) was isolated from the stem bark of C. cumingianus. The chemical structure of the new compound was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. All of the compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against P-388 murine leukemia cells. Compounds 1-3 showed cytotoxicity against P-388 murine leukemia cells with IC₅₀ values of 28.8 ± 0.10, 4.29 ± 0.03, and 100.18 ± 0.16 μg/ml, respectively.     

Six new C-21 steroidal glycosides from Dregea sinensis Hemsl

Six new C-21 steroidal glycosides (1–6) were separated from the root of Dregea sinensis Hemsl. and their structures were elucidated using extensive nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and infrared spectral analyses. Isolated compounds were evaluated for antitumor activity, which showed that compound 3 had moderate activity in Jurkat cells (IC₅₀ 19.54 ± 0.91 μM), and compounds 1–4 had significant effects against IL-2R and TNFR2 (IC₅₀ 1.518 ± 0.06 μM to 5.9 ± 0.07 μM).     

Two new triterpenes from Euphorbia alatavica

A phytochemical investigation on Euphorbia alatavica Boiss resulted in the isolation of nine compounds, including two new ones, alatavolide and alatavoic acid (1–2). Chemical structures of these compounds were established on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-MS techniques, and by comparison with data reported in the literature. Compounds 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9 were screened for cytotoxicity using the MTT assay. Among these compounds, the new compound 2 showed moderate cytotoxicity against Hela, MCF-7 and A549 cell lines (IC₅₀ values of 16.4 ± 3.2, 14.5 ± 2.8, 22.3 ± 3.1 μM, respectively), while the known compound 8 exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity with the IC₅₀ values of 6.5 ± 3.1, 1.9 ± 0.9, 8.6 ± 3.5 μM, respectively.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of 7-methyl-7-hydroxy-2,3-benzo[c]octa-1,6-olide

The racemic 7-methyl-7-hydroxy-2,3-benzo[c]octa-1,6-olide, the analog of natural product (6R)-3,7-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-2-octen-1,6-olide, was totally synthesized using easily available (E)-2-(2-carboxyvinyl)benzoic acid as a raw material in nine-step reactions including three key steps of Wittig reaction, epoxidation, and cyclization, with an overall yield of 10.3%. The bioassay results showed that ( ± )-2 exhibited stronger antifungal activity than the natural product ( ± )-1 and (R)-1 against Alternaria solani with an EC₅₀ value of 27.36 μg/ml.     

A new triterpene ester and other chemical constituents from the aerial parts of Anodendron paniculatum and their cytotoxic activity

The aim of the research was to study the active constituents of Anodendron paniculatum Roxb. (Apocynaceae). A new triterpene ester, named anopaniester (1), and cycloartenol (2), ursolic acid (3), esculenic acid (4), bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (5), desmosterol (6), stigmasterol (7), vaniline (8), and (E)-phytol (9), were isolated from the aerial parts of A. paniculatum. Compounds 3 and 6 showed the significant inhibitory effect (IC₅₀ values ranging from 30.89 ± 3.60 to 44.37 ± 5.40 μg/ml) against tested human cancer cell lines LU-1 and MKN-7. The compounds 1–4, and 6 were isolated from this genus Anodendron for the first time.     

Prenylated isoflavones from Cudrania tricuspidata inhibit NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and suppress HL-60 cells proliferation

Inhibitory effects of NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages guided the isolation of nine prenylated isoflavones, including a new cudraisoflavone L (1) and eight known metabolites furowanin B (2), erysubin A (3), wighteone (4), lupalbigenin (5), laburnetin (6), isolupalbigenin (7), 6,8-diprenylorobol (8), millewanin H (9) from the leaves of Cudrania tricuspidata. At the concentration of 10 μM, compounds 1, 2, and 4 significantly inhibited NO production with the inhibitory values of 72.5 ± 2.4, 66.9 ± 1.8, and 55.4 ± 2.7%, respectively. In addition, all of isolated compounds 1–9 showed promising cytotoxic effects toward HL-60 cells (IC₅₀ 4.3 ± 0.7 to 18.0 ± 1.7 μM).     

New polyacetylenes glycoside from Eclipta prostrate with DGAT inhibitory activity

One new polyacetylene glycoside eprostrata Ⅰ (1), together with seven known compounds (2–8), were isolated from Eclipta prostrata. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and physico-chemical analyses. All the isolates were evaluated inhibitory activity on DGAT in an in vitro assay. Compounds 1–8 were found to exhibit inhibitory activity of DGAT1 with IC₅₀ values ranging from 74.4 ± 1.3 to 101.1 ± 1.1 μM.     

Pro-apoptotic and microtubule-disassembly effects of ardisiacrispin (A+B), triterpenoid saponins from Ardisia crenata on human hepatoma Bel-7402 cells

Ardisiacrispin (A+B) is a mixture of ardisiacrispins A and B, derived from Ardisia crenata with a fixed proportion (2:1). The present study was conducted to investigate its anticancer activity on human cancer cells and its underlying mechanism of action. The (IC₅₀)s of ardisiacrispin (A+B) on proliferation of several human cancer cell lines were in the range of 0.9–6.5 μg/ml by sulphorhodamine B-based colorimetric assay, in which Bel-7402 was the most sensitive cell line. Moreover, ardisiacrispin (A+B) induced dose-dependent apoptosis in Bel-7402 cells at doses of 1–10 μg/ml by flow cytometry, and resulted in the changes of the mitochondrial membrane depolarization, membrane permeability enhancement, and nuclear condensation in a dose-dependent manner through high-content screening analysis. Furthermore, ardisiacrispin (A+B) could disassemble microtubule in Bel-7402 cells; the fluorescence intensity of microtubules decreased at the concentration of 5–20 μg/ml. These findings suggest that ardisiacrispin (A+B) could inhibit the proliferation of Bel-7402 cells by inducing apoptosis and disassembling microtubule.     

Two new sesquiterpenoid glycosides from the leaves of Lycium barbarum

Two new sesquiterpenoid glycosides, lyciumionosides A–B (1–2), together with four known compounds (3–6), were isolated from the leaves of Lycium barbarum. Their structures were mainly established on the basis of MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques. The antiproliferative activities of compounds 1–5 were evaluated. Compound 1 showed highest inhibitory activity against A549 cells with IC₅₀ value of 32.6 ± 2.6 μM, compound 3 showed highest inhibitory activity against PC-3 cells with IC₅₀ value of 36.0 ± 2.9 μM, and compound 5 exhibited highest inhibitory activity against HeLa cells with IC₅₀ value of 32.3 ± 4.2 μM.