Liriogerphines A-D, a Class of Sesquiterpene-Alkaloid Hybrids from the Rare Chinese Tulip Tree Plant.

Liriogerphines A-D (1-4, respectively), an unprecedented class of hybrids of germacranolide-type sesquiterpenoids and aporphine-type alkaloids, were isolated from the rare medicinal plant Liriodendron chinense. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses combined with electronic circular dichroism calculations and X-ray crystallographic data. Biosynthetically, an aza-Michael addition reaction is proposed to be involved in the assemblies of this class of hybrids. Compound 4 exhibited cytotoxicity against leukemia cells via inducing apoptosis and inhibiting Bcl-2 expression.

Structurally diverse glycosides of secoiridoid, bisiridoid, and triterpene-bisiridoid conjugates from the flower buds of two Caprifoliaceae plants and their ATP-citrate lyase inhibitory activities.

The ethanolic extracts of the dried flower buds of two Caprifoliaceae plants, Lonicera japonica and Abelia × grandiflora, showed considerable inhibitory activities against adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-citrate lyase (ACL), a new promising drug target for the treatment of metabolic disorders. Bioassay-guided purification in conjunction with HPLC-PDA profiling led to the isolation and characterization of thirty-five (1-35) and fourteen (1'-14') structurally diverse compounds from the above two plant extracts, respectively. Compounds 1-9 and 1'-6' are previously undescribed glycosides. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. In particular, lonicejaposide A (1) has an unprecedented skeleton generated through the coupling of C-7 in secologanin with C-2'' in phenylacetaldehyde via an aldol condensation. Abeliflorosides A (1') and B (2') are hitherto unknown glycosides of triterpene and bisiridoid conjugates constructed through the formation of a 1,3-dioxane moiety. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against ACL. Compounds 9, 25-28, 31, 1', 2', and 14' displayed significant inhibitory effects, with IC50 values ranging from 0.1 to 14.2 µM. The interactions of selected compounds possessing different structure features (e.g., 9, 25, 31, and 2') with ACL were thereafter performed by employing molecular docking studies. In addition, compound 2', the most complex triterpene-bisiridoid conjugate glycoside reported herein, also inhibited acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), with an IC50 value of 7.9 µM. The dried material of the flower buds of L. japonica (honeysuckle) is a well-known traditional oriental medicine (i.e., Flos Lonicerae Japonicae, FLJ) and has long been used in large quantities. The above findings not only provide new insights for the development of multipurpose utilization of FLJ in healthcare community, but also provide profitable clues indicating that the flower buds of A. × grandiflora might be a potential alternative to FLJ in the traditional Chinese medicine market.

Highly Oxygenated Triterpenoids and Diterpenoids from Fructus Rubi (Rubus chingii Hu) and Their NF-kappa B Inhibitory Effects.

During a phytochemical investigation of the unripe fruits of Rubus chingii Hu (i.e., Fructus Rubi, a traditional Chinese medicine named "Fu-Pen-Zi"), a number of highly oxygenated terpenoids were isolated and characterized. These included nine ursane-type (1, 2, and 4-10), five oleanane-type (3, 11-14), and six cucurbitane-type (15-20) triterpenoids, together with five ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids (21-25). Among them, (4R,5R,8R,9R,10R,14S,17S,18S,19R,20R)-2,19α,23-trihydroxy-3-oxo-urs-1,12-dien-28-oic acid (rubusacid A, 1), (2R*,4S*,5R*,8R*,9R*,10R*,14S*,17S*, 18S*,19R*,20R*)-2α,19α,24-trihydroxy-3-oxo-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (rubusacid B, 2), (5R,8R,9R,10R, 14S,17R,18S,19S)-2,19α-dihydroxy-olean-1,12-dien-28-oic acid (rubusacid C, 3), and (3S,5S,8S,9R, 10S,13R,16R)-3α,16α,17-trihydroxy-ent-kaur-2-one (rubusone, 21) were previously undescribed. Their chemical structures and absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses. Compounds 1 and 3 are rare naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoids featuring a special α,ß-unsaturated keto-enol (diosphenol) unit in ring A. Cucurbitacin B (15), cucurbitacin D (16), and 3α,16α,20(R),25-tetrahydroxy-cucurbita-5,23- dien-2,11,22-trione (17) were found to have remarkable inhibitory effects against NF-κB, with IC50 values of 0.08, 0.61, and 1.60 µM, respectively.

A new coumarin derivative from the stems of the endangered plant Ulmus elongata.

A preliminary phytochemical investigation of the stems of the endangered plant Ulmus elongata led to the isolation of a new coumarin derivative (named ulmuselactone A, 1) and eight known compounds (2-9). The new structure was elucidated by detailed analysis of comprehensive spectroscopic methods, and its absolute configuration was established by comparing experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities.

Sesquiterpenes and diterpenes with cytotoxic activities from the aerial parts of Carpesium humile.

Carpesium humile Winkl is an endemic Chinese species and no previous phytochemical studies have been reported for this species. Two new germacranolides (1 and 2) and a new phytane diterpene (5), together with five known compounds (two sesquiterpenoids and three diterpenoids), were isolated from the aerial parts of C. humile. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. The conformations and absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were established by combinative analysis of NMR, CD exciton chirality, and X-ray crystallography data. Four germacranolides (1-4) showed strong cytotoxic activities, with broad spectrum activities against six human cancer (HepG2, HeLa, HL60, SGC7901, Lewis, and MDA231) cell lines in vitro using MTT assay, with IC50 values from 3.09 to 7.71 µg/mL. Diterpenes (5, 6, and 8) also displayed good cytotoxic activities for selected cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in the range 5.46-8.08 µg/mL.

Two novel bioactive sulfated guaiane sesquiterpenoid salt alkaloids from the aerial parts of Scorzonera divaricata.

Extracts of the aerial parts of Scorzonera divaricata afforded sulfoscorzonin D (1) and sulfoscorzonin E (2), two novel pyrrolidine inner salt alkaloids with a sulfated guaiane sesquiterpene lactone nucleus, along with 22 known compounds. Especially, sulfoscorzonin D containing a unusual monoterpene moiety is very rare. The structures of new compounds were established using spectroscopic analysis including one- and two-dimensional NMR and HRESIMS. The cytotoxicities of compounds 1-4 and 10 against three tumor cell lines (K562, Hela, and HepG2) were evaluated using the MTT assay. Compounds 2 and 10 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity. The biological properties of 1-3, 5-8, 10-14, and 16-24, were screened against nine different gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Compounds 1, 5-8, 10, and 18, showed potent antibacterial activities. CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS STUDIED IN THIS ARTICLE: Glucozaluzanin C (PubChem CID: 442320); 1ß,4α-dihydroxy-5α,6ß,7α,11ßH-eudermn-12; 6-olide (CID: 11119093); oleanolic acid (CID: 10494); lup-20(29)-ene-3ß,28-diol (CID: 72326); (22E)-5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3ß-ol (CID: 5469431); ergosta-3ß,5α, 6ß-trialcohol (CID: 44558918); stigma-5-en-3-O-ß-glucoside (CID: 5742590); vomifoliol (CID: 12444927); trans-caffeic acid (CID: 689043); trans-p-hydroxy coumaric acid (CID: 637542); 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl ferulate (CID: 11500646); 7,3',4'-trihydroxyflavonol (CID: 5281614); tricin (ID: 5281702); luteolin (CID: 5280445); diosmetin (CID: 5281612); 5,7-dihydroxy-8-methoxyflavone (CID: 5281703); 5,7-dihydroxy-6-methoxyflavone (CID: 5320315); methyl-3,4-dihydroxy benzoate (CID: 287064); m-hydroxy benzoic acid (CID: 7420); 7-hydroxy-coumarin (CID: 5281426); and scopoletin (CID: 5280460).