Beta-amyrin from Ardisia elliptica Thunb. is more potent than aspirin in inhibiting collagen-induced platelet aggregation.

Ardisia elliptica Thunberg (Myrsinaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used for alleviating chest pains, treatment of fever, diarrhoea, liver poisoning and parturition complications. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of A. elliptica on collagen induced platelet aggregation and to isolate and purify potential antiplatelet components. Fresh A. elliptica leaves were extracted using methanol (70% v/v) by Soxhlet extraction and the extract was analysed for its inhibition of collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Inhibition of platelet aggregation was assessed by incubating the extracts with rabbit blood and collagen in a whole blood aggregometer and measuring the impedance. The leaf extract was found to inhibit platelet aggregation with an IC50 value of 167 microg/ml. Using bioassay guided fractionation, beta-amyrin was isolated and purified. The IC50 value of beta-amyrin was found to be 4.5 microg/ml (10.5 microM) while that of aspirin was found to be 11 microg/ml (62.7 microM), indicating that beta-amyrin was six times as active as aspirin in inhibiting platelet aggregation. This paper is the first report that beta-amyrin isolated from A. elliptica is more potent than aspirin in inhibiting collagen-induced platelet aggregation. In conclusion, A. elliptica leaves were found to inhibit collagen-induced platelet aggregation and one of the bioactive components responsible for the observed effect was determined to be beta-amyrin.

Elucidation of the absolute configuration of a tadalafil analogue found as adulterant in a health supplement by mass spectrometry, chiroptical methods and NMR spectroscopy.

The chirality of a dipropylaminopretadalafil stereoisomer isolated from a health supplement has been studied. Under high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) study, this unknown compound seems to be one of the trans configuration tadalafil analogues i.e. (6S, 12aR) or (6R, 12aS), owing to the same precursor ion at m/z 492 with mass errors within ±2 ppm tolerance and very close retention times. Moreover, the MS2 fragmentation pattern is also very similar to the two trans isomers. Fortunately, the unknown compound can be distinguished from the two trans isomers by enantioselective separation with the use of a chiral column. Further comparison studies with a series of homologous compounds without a diketopiperazine ring on ellipticity and optical rotation support the unknown compound to be in the cis-(6R, 12aR) configuration. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in one dimensional (1D) and nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) have affirmed the abovementioned configuration.