Ancistrobrevinium A, the first N-methylated, cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid, from the tropical liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae).

Ancistrobrevinium A (1) is the first N-methylated and non-hydrogenated, and thus cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid. It was discovered in the root bark extract of the phytochemically productive West African liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae). Its constitution was elucidated by HR-ESI-MS and 1D and 2D NMR. Due to the steric hindrance in the proximity of the linkage between the naphthalene and isoquinoline parts, the biaryl axis is rotationally hindered. It thus constitutes a stable element of chirality - the only one in the new alkaloid since, different from most other naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, it has no stereogenic centers. The axial configuration of 1 was assigned by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) investigations, which gave a positive couplet, indicating a 'positive chirality', here corresponding to a P-configuration. Ancistrobrevinium A (1) showed a weak cytotoxic activity against A549 lung cancer cells (IC50 = 50.6 µM).