Optimization of Pressurized Liquid Extraction of Lycopodiaceae Alkaloids Obtained from Two Lycopodium Species

Alkaloids of the Lycopodiaceae family are of great interest to researchers due to their numerous properties and wide applications in medicine. They play a very important role mainly due to their potent antioxidant, antidepressant effects and a reversible ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme activity. This property is of immense importance due to the growing problem of an increasing number of patients with neurodegenerative diseases in developed countries and a lack of effective and efficient treatment for them. Numerous studies have shown that Lycopodiaceae alkaloids are a rich source of AChE inhibitors. In the obtaining of new therapeutic phytochemicals from plant material, the extraction process and its efficiency is crucial. Therefore, the aim of this work was to optimize the conditions of modern PLE to obtain bioactive alkaloids from two Lycopodium species: L. clavatum L. and L. annotinum L. Five different solvents of different polarity were used for prepared plant extracts in order to compare the alkaloid content in and thereby effectiveness of the entire extraction. PLE parameters were used based on multiple studies conducted that gave the highest alkaloids recovery. Crude extracts were purified using solid-phase extraction (SPE) on Oasis HLB cartridge and examined by HPLC/ESI-QTOF–MS of the highly abundant alkaloids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such high recoveries have been obtained for known Lycopodiaceae alkaloids. The best extraction results of alkaloid-lycopodine were detected in the dichloromethane extract from L. clavatum, where the yield exceeded 45%. The high recovery of annotinine above 40% presented in L. annotinum was noticed in dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts. Moreover, chromatograms were obtained with all isolated alkaloids and the best separation and quality of the bands in methanolic extracts. Interestingly, no alkaloid amounts were detected in cyclohexane extracts belonging to the non-polar solvent. These results could be helpful for understanding and optimizing the best conditions for isolating potent AChE inhibitors.     

A New Lycopodine-type Alkaloid from Lycopodium japonicum

A new lycopodine-type alkaloid, 12β-hydroxy-acetylfawcettiine N-oxide (1), together with seven known analogues, acetyllycoposerramine M (2), lycopodine (3), lycoclavine (4), diphaladine A (5), lycoposerramine K (6), 11β-hydroxy-12-epilycodoline (7) and fawcettiine (8), were isolated from Lycopodium japonicum. Their structures were established by mass spectrometry and 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The isolated alkaloids were assayed for their inhibition activities against acetylcholinesterase, but no inhibitory activities for the compounds were detected.     

Three New Lycopodium Alkaloids from Phlegmariurus fargesii

Three new Lycopodium alkaloids, fargesiines A – C ( 1  –  3 , resp.), along with a known compound ( 4 ), were isolated from the whole plants of Phlegmariurus fargesii. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical correlations. Compounds 1  –  4 were tested in an assay for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity.     

Synthetic Efforts toward the Lycopodium Alkaloids Inspires a Hydrogen Iodide Mediated Method for the Hydroamination and Hydroetherification of Olefins

Progress toward the total syntheses of a diverse set of fawcettimine‐type Lycopodium alkaloids via a “Heathcock‐type” 6–5–9 tricycle is disclosed. This route features an intermolecular Diels–Alder cycloaddition to rapidly furnish the 6–5‐fused bicycle and a highly chemoselective directed hydrogenation to build the azonane fragment. While conducting these synthetic studies, trimethylsilyl iodide was found to effect a hydroamination reaction to furnish the tetracyclic core of serratine and related natural products. This observation has been expanded into a general method for the room temperature hydroamination of unactivated olefins with tosylamides utilizing catalytic “anhydrous” HI (generated in situ from trimethylsilyl iodide and water). The presence of the iodide anion is critical to the success of this Brønsted acid catalyzed protocol, possibly due to its function as a weakly coordinating anion. These conditions also effect the analogous hydroetherification reaction of alcohols with unactivated olefins.     

Lycopodium Alkaloids from Lycopodium obscurum L.

Two new Lycopodium alkaloids, named obscurumines F and G ( 1 and 2 , resp.), together with eleven known alkaloids, were isolated from the club moss Lycopodium obscurum L. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses.     

Heathcock‐Inspired Strategies for the Synthesis of Fawcettimine‐Type Lycopodium Alkaloids

The fawcettimine‐type Lycopodium alkaloids have garnered significant attention from synthetic organic chemists since the isolation of fawcettimine in 1959. Despite being targets of interest for over 50 years, most of the strategies employed in the syntheses of fawcettimine congeners have built upon Inubushi and Heathcock’s original work, realized in 1979 and 1986, respectively. This elegant strategy has been explored and expanded upon in the intervening years since the original publications, in what we now call the Heathcock‐inspired strategy. While other disconnections have been disclosed, this strategy remains one of the most efficient. In this Concept article, we focus on exploring a number of recent Heathcock‐inspired syntheses of fawcettimine‐type Lycopodium alkaloids. We also briefly discuss alternative, novel disconnections.     

Huperzine W,a Novel 14 Carbons Lycopodium Alkaloid from Huperzia serrata

Lycopodium plants have long been studied and many alkaloids have been reported thus far. Most of the compounds reported have a common formula of C16N1. During the course of chemical investigation on Huperzia serrata, we gained huperzine W (1, 25 mg from 10 kg dry whole plant), a novel compound which possessed a unique structure among Lycopodium alkaloids, along with a known compound, alopecuridine (2)2. In present paper, we report on the isolation and structural elucidation of 1. 1 2 H…     

Two new Lycopodium alkaloids from Phlegmariurus phlegmaria (L.) Holub

Two new Lycopodium alkaloids, 4β-hydroxynankakurine B (1) and Δ^13,N,N_α-methylphlegmarine-N_β-oxide (2), together with three known analogues, lycoposerramine E (3), nankakurine B (4) and lobscurinol (5), were isolated from Phlegmariurus phlegmaria. Their structures were established by mass spectrometry and 1D and 2D NMR techniques.     

Effect of sporopollenin microparticle incorporation into the hexyl methacrylate-based monolithic columns for capillary liquid chromatography

Sporopollenin microparticles have been prepared form Lycopodium clavatum spores, defatted and incorporated into a porous methacrylate polymer monolith to enhance liquid chromatographic performance of different sets of small neutral molecules. A stable suspension between sporopollenin microparticles and porogenic solvents composed of 1-propanol and 1,4-butandiol has proved before preparation, and seven compositions with increasing sporopollenin microparticles were prepared inside fused silica tubing. After optimizing of the preparation conditions, the structure of the stationary phase was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, surface area analysis, thermodynamic study, short- and long-term precision, and hydrodynamic properties including mechanical stability, porosity, and permeability. The columns were successfully applied to improve the separation efficiency of different mixtures using capillary liquid chromatography. Addition of very small amount of sporopollenin microparticles to the methacrylate mixture enhanced the column efficiency from 3 to 5 times for ketonic and phenolic compounds and reduced the retention with the corresponding better resolution and peak shapes for all studied compounds.     

Lyconadins C and F, new Lycopodium alkaloids from Lycopodium complanatum

New Lycopodium alkaloids, lyconadins C (1) and F (2), were isolated from the club moss Lycopodium complanatum. Lyconadin C (1) is a new C₁₆N₂-type Lycopodium alkaloid possessing unique fused-tetracyclic ring system consisting of a cycloheptene ring fused to a decahydroquinoline and pyridone rings. Lyconadin F (2) possesses a primary amide moiety in its molecular, which is the first example of Lycopodium alkaloids. Biogenetically, lyconadins C (1) and F (2) might be related to lyconadins A (4) and B (5). The structures and relative stereochemistry of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. The absolute stereochemistry of 2 was elucidated by chemical correlations with lyconadin B (5) through hemiaminal form of lyconadin F (3).