Bis-sesquiterpene from the Marine Sponge Dysidea fragilis.

Two new sesquiterpenes and one new bis-sesquiterpene, named dysinidins C-E (1-3) along with three known sterols, dysideasterol F, 9α,l lα-epoxycholest-7-en-3ß,5α,6α-triol, and 9α,11α-epoxycholest-7-en-3ß,5α,6α,19-tetrol 6-acetate (4-6) were isolated from the Vietnamese marine sponge Dysidea fragilis (Montagu, 1814). Their structures were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopies and HR-ESI-MS, as well as by comparison with reported literature data. Compounds 4-6 were found to inhibit eight human cancer cell lines (KB, LU-1, HL-60, LNCaP, SK-Mel-2, HepG-2, MCF-7, and PC-3), with IC50 values ranging from 7.3 to 31.5 µM.

A new alkaloid from the fruit of Nandina domestica Thunb.

A new steroidal alkaloid, (20S,22R,24R)-24-ethyl-3-oxocholest-4-en-22-amino, named as nandsterine (1), together with 10 known alkaloids, palmatine (2), O-methylbulbocapnine (3), nantenine (4), dehydronantenine (5), glaucine (6), didehydroglaucine (7), dehydrocorydaline (8), jatrorrhizine (9), magnoflorine (10) and berberine (11), was isolated from the fruit of Nandina domestica Thunb. Their structures were elucidated by using spectroscopic methods as well as by comparing with the published data. Compound 1 was a new class of steroidal alkaloid isolated from the family Berberidaceae, meanwhile compounds 2, 3, 6-8 and 10 were obtained from N. domestica for the first time. Compound 1 exhibited cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells (human leukaemia) with IC50 values of 52.1 µM.

Chemical characterization of a commercial Commiphora wightii resin sample and chemical profiling to assess for authenticity.

The gum resin of Commiphora wightii [(Hook. ex Stocks) Engl.] is an ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of arthritis, inflammation, obesity, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular diseases and is known as guggul. Morphologically, it is not easy to distinguish guggul from closely related gum resins of other plants. Reliability of the commercially available guggul is critical due to the high risk of adulteration. To check authenticity, a commercial guggul sample was investigated for its chemical markers and 17 metabolites were identified, including three new, 20(S),21-epoxy-3-oxocholest-4-ene (1), 8 ß-hydroxy-3,20-dioxopregn-4,6-diene (2), and 5-(13' Z-nonadecenyl)resorcinol (17) from the ethyl acetate soluble part. During the current study, compounds 14- 17 were identified as constituents of Mangifera indica gum, as an adulterant in the commercial guggul sample. This discovery highlighted the common malpractices in the trade of medicinal raw material in the developing world. The structures of the compounds were deduced by the spectroscopic technique and chemical methods, as well as by comparison with the reported data. The structure of 20(S),21-epoxy-3-oxocholest-4-ene (1) was also unambiguously deduced by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique.

[Studies on chemical constituents of Laurencia tristicha ( II )].

OBJECTIVE: To search for chemical constituents with structural diversity from Laurencia tristicha to supply for biological assay. METHOD: Compounds were isolated by means of column chromatography over normal phase silica gel and Sephadex LH-20, recrystallization and HPLC. Structures were identified by spectroscopic methods including 1D NMR, IR and MS. Cytotoxicities of the purified compounds were evaluated by MTT method. RESULT: Seven compounds were isolated from L. tristicha. Their structures were elucidated as cholesterol (1), cholesta- 5-en-3beta, 7alpha-diol (2), beta-stigmasterol (3), phytol (4), zeaxanthin (5), 4 -hydroxybenzaldehyde (6), indolyl-3-carbaldehyde (7). In the cytotoxic assay compound 2 was active against human cancer cell lines HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGc-823, A549 and HELA with IC50 values of 1.90, 2.02, 1.99, 6.52 and 1.20 microg x mL(-1), respectively. Compound 4 showed cytotoxicity against HCT-8 and HELA with IC50 value of 3.51 and 2.04 microg x mL(-1), and other compounds were inactive ( IC50 > 10 microg x mL(-1)). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1-7 were isolated from L. tristicha for the first time. In additon, compounds 2 and 4 were cytotoxic against several human cancer cell lines.

[Isolation and structure identification of C-25 epimers of inokosterone from Achyranthes bidentata Blume].

AIM: To isolate C-25 epimers of inokosterone from Achyranthes bidentata Blume. and identify their structures. METHODS: To separate C-25 epimers of inokosterone by using various kinds of chromatography methods and identify their structures on basis of spectral analysis and chemical method. RESULTS: Three compounds were isolated and their structures were established as 25S-inokosterone (1), 25R-inokosterone (2) and ecdysterone (3). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 and 2 are new C-25 configuration isomers from Achyranthes bidentata Blume., their absolute configurations are elucidated at the first time, and their 13CNMR data are reported for the first time.

A novel antiprotozoal aminosteroid from Saracha punctata.

A new aminosteroid, 3beta-amino-22,26-epiminocholest-5-ene named sarachine (1), and two known flavonoids, eriodictyol (2) and 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-eriodictyol (3), were isolated from the leaves of Saracha punctata. The alkaloid was found to inhibit the growth of Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes (100% at 25 microM) and of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes in culture (50% at 25 microM) and showed a strong in vitro antiplasmodial activity with an IC50 of 25 nM.