A new norisoprenoid from the leaves of Ficus pumila

One new norisoprenoid 3,9-dihydroxy dihydro actinidiolide (1), together with eleven known compounds (2–12), were isolated from ethanol extract of the leaves of Ficus pumila collected in Hainan Province, China. Their structures were elucidated by the detailed analysis of comprehensive spectroscopic data. Compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10–12 were isolated from the F. pumila for the first time. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity. Compounds 3 and 9 showed weak cytotoxic activity against Hela, MCF-7 and A549 cell lines.     

A novel antimicrobial triterpenic acid from the leaves of Ficus benjamina (var. comosa)

The chloroform extract of the leaves of Ficus benjamina (var. comosa) (Moraceae) afforded a new triterpenic acid named as (9,11), (18,19)-disecoolean-12-en-28-oic acid (1) along with β-amyrin (2). Their structures were established on the basis of chemical and physical evidences (IR, ¹H NMR, and MS data). The compound 1 exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium (MTCC-98), Candida albicans (IAO-109), Staphylococcus aureus (IAO-SA-22), Escherichia coli (K-12) and low activity against Aspergillus niger (lab isolate ICAR) and Aspergillus brassicola.     

Determination of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in cornel by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) method was established for the determination of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in cornel. The two components were separated in the running buffer of 40 mmol/L sodium borate containing 5% methanol, 25 mmol/L SDS and 15 mmol/L hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD). The applied voltage was 24 kV. The wavelength of detection was 200 nm. The temperature was kept at 25 C. Cinnamic acid was used as the internal standard. The analytical performance of the method was tested with respect to linearity, precision and recovery. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 10.15-243.6 microg/mL, r=0.9993 (oleanolic acid) and 10.07-241.7 microg/mL, r=0.9994 (ursolic acid); the intra-day precision (RSD) was less than 3.7% (oleanolic acid) and 4.1% (ursolic acid); the inter-day precision (RSD) was less than 4.2% (oleanolic acid) and 4.9% (ursolic acid). The limits of detection were 1.6 microg/mL for both components. The method proved to be sensitive, rapid, accurate and suitable for the determination of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in cornel.     

A new helvolic acid derivative from an endophytic Fusarium sp. of Ficus carica

A new helvolic acid derivative named helvolic acid methyl ester (1), together with two known helvolic acid compounds, helvolic acid (2) and hydrohelvolic acid (3), were isolated from the fermentation of endophytic fungus Fusarium sp. in Ficus carica leaves. Their structures were elucidated and identified by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1–3 showed potent antifungal and antibacterial activities.     

Biotransformation of ursolic acid by Alternaria longipes AS3.2875

Microbial transformation of ursolic acid (1) was carried out by Alternaria longipes AS 3.2875. Six transformed products (2–7) from 1 were isolated and their structures were identified as 3-carbonyl ursolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), ursolic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), ursolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (4), 2α, 3β-dihydroxy ursolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (5), 3β, 21β dihydroxy ursolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (6), and 3-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)- ursolic acid 28-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl) ester (7) based on the analysis of 1D NMR, 2DNMR and MS data. The product 2 was a new compound among them and showed stronger antibacterial activity against S. aureu, MRSA and MRCA than substrate. In this study, we modified structure of ursolic acid through biotransformation to enhance its activities and preliminarily discussed the transformation way of the products.     

化学衍生辅助液相色谱-串联质谱测定枇杷膏中的齐墩果酸和熊果酸

建立了一种液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)同时测定齐墩果酸和熊果酸含量的分析方法,利用衍生化试剂N,N-二甲基乙二胺(DMED)和d4-N,N-二甲基乙二胺(d4-DMED)分别衍生样品和标准工作溶液中的目标分析物,并将标准工作液的衍生产物作为稳定同位素内标。该方法线性关系良好,相关系数均0.99;齐墩果酸和熊果酸的检出限(S/N=3)分别为0.92 ng/L和1.06 ng/L,加标回收率分别为98.7%~102.7%和97.2%~105.0%。该方法简单、快速、准确,可满足枇杷膏中齐墩果酸和熊果酸高灵敏度检测的需求。     

HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR isolation of tetracyclic spiro-alkaloids with antiplasmodial activity from the seeds of Erythrina latissima

Abstract

Seven tetracyclic spiro-alkaloids, i.e. glucoerysodine (1), erysodine (2), epi-erythratidine (3), erysovine (4), erythratidine (5), erysotrine (6) and erythraline (7) were isolated from the seeds of Erythrina latissima by means of conventional separation methods and HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic means. This is the first report on the isolation of compounds 3, 5 and 6 from this plant. Antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain Plasmodium falciparum K1 and cytotoxicity against MRC-5 cells (human fetal lung fibroblast cells) was assessed in vitro. Erysodine (2) and erysovine (4) showed moderate activity (IC₅₀ 6.53?µM and 4.05?µM, respectively), compared with the standard chloroquine (IC₅₀ = 0.14?µM). No cytotoxicity was observed in a concentration up to 64.0?µM.     

A new12-membered lactone from the stems of Ficus auriculata

A new lactone ficusine D (1), together with six known compounds (2–7) were isolated from the stems of the Ficus auriculata. The new compound 1 was a rare 12-membered lactone containing a quinone ring skeleton. The structure of the 1 was elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data. The relative and absolute configurations of 1 were elucidated by the ROESY analysis and biogenesis pathway. All compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against six pathogenic bacteria in vitro. Compounds 6 and 7 exhibited potent antibacterial activities against Bacillus cereus with the MIC values of 2.5 and 5 μM, respectively.     

不同结构型熊果酸衍生物在抗肿瘤方面的研究进展

熊果酸是一种植物中常见的五环三萜类活性产物,具有广谱且显著的的抗肿瘤活性,但是较差的水溶性限制了其作为抗癌药物的应用。因此,对熊果酸的结构母核进行适当的修饰,引入特殊的药效基团,以改善其临床应用的局限性,成为了当前人们研究的热点。本综述总结了近10年来报道的具有抗肿瘤活性的熊果酸的各种合成衍生物,以探究不同基团修饰对抗肿瘤活性的影响,为研究熊果酸抗肿瘤方面的构效关系提供参考。     

A new benzofuran derivative from the leaves of Ficus pumila L.

A new benzofuran derivative, pumiloside (1), together with seven known flavonoid glycosides, afzelin (2), astragalin (3), quercitrin (4), isoquercitrin (5), kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside (6), rutin (7) and kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside (8) were isolated from the leaves of Ficus pumila. Their structures were established by spectroscopic data and comparison with the literature values.     

Determination of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and amygdalin in the flower of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. by HPLC

Simple and accurate HPLC methods were developed for the determination of oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA) and amygdalin in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) flower, which is commonly used for the treatment of various diseases as a traditional Chinese medicine. HPLC assay was performed on a reversed-phase C(18) column and all three compounds were detected at 210 nm with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The mobile phase consisted of methanol (A) and 0.03 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 2.8) (B) with a ratio of 88:12 (A:B, v/v) for simultaneous detection of OA and UA, and 25:75 (A:B, v/v) for detection of amygdalin. The established methods showed good precision and accuracy with overall intra-day and inter-day variation of 0.99-3.55 and 1.05-4.05%, respectively, and overall recoveries of 97.37-99.32% for the three compounds. Application of these methods to determine the OA, UA and amygdalin contents in loquat flower showed that cultivar had a minor effect on the contents of all three compounds, with average amounts of 0.38-0.51 mg OA/g dry weight (DW), 2.15-2.68 mg UA/g DW and 1.23-1.56 mg amygdalin/g DW among five loquat cultivars tested. However, developmental stages and flower tissues showed significant effect on the contents of all three bioactive components.     

Two nematicidal furocoumarins from Ficus carica L. leaves and their physiological effects on pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus)

The ethanol extract of the Ficus carica L. leaves was tested to show strong nematicidal activity against pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causing 90.93% corrected mortality within 72 h at 1.0 mg/mL. From the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the F. carica L. leaves extract, the main nematicidal constituents were obtained by bioassay-guided isolation and identified as linear furocoumarins bergapten (1) and psoralen (2) by mass and NMR spectral data analysis. Bergapten and psoralen had significant nematicidal activity against PWN with the LC₅₀ values of 97.08 aKSnd 115.03 μg/mL within 72 h, respectively. The two furocoumarins could inhibit the activities of amylase, cellulase and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) from PWN. The morphologies of PWNs changed much after they were treated by bergapten and psoralen. The physiological effects of bergapten and psoralen on PWN might provide helpful clues to elucidate their nematicidal mechanisms.     

反相高效液相色谱法同时测定柿叶中齐墩果酸和熊果酸

建立反相高效液相色谱法同时测定柿(Diospyros koki Linn.f.)叶中齐墩果酸和熊果酸的含量.采用Kromasil C18色谱柱(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm);流动相:V(甲醇):V(0.2%磷酸水溶液)=87:13;流速:0.8 mL/min;检测波长:210nm;柱温:30℃.齐墩果酸进样量在0.0848～1.696 μg范围内线性关系良好,r=0.9996,平均加样回收率为101.3%;熊果酸进样量在0.1408～2.816 μg范围内线性关系良好,r=0.9995,平均加样回收率为99.0%.3批样品测定结果表明,本法可作为柿叶中齐墩果酸和熊果酸含量测定的方法.     

Identification and quantification of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Chinese herbs by liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method for the identification and quantification of ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) in Chinese herbs is described. The method combines liquid chromatography (LC) with ion trap‐mass spectrometry (IT‐MS) detection. The UA and OA standard solution were directly infused into IT‐MS for collecting MSⁿ spectra. The major fragment ions of UA and OA were confirmed by MSⁿ at m/z 455, 407, 391, 377 and 363 in negative ion mode, and m/z 457, 439, 411 and 393 in positive mode, respectively. The possible main cleavage pathway of fragment ions was studied. UA and OA provided good signals corresponding to the deprotonated molecular ion [M − H]⁻. The method is reliable and reproducible, and the detection limit is 5 ng/mL. The method was validated in the concentration range of 0.04–40 μg/mL; intra‐ and inter‐day precisions ranged from 0.78 to 2.15%, and the accuracy was 96.5–108.2% for UA and OA. The mean recovery of UA and OA was 97.1–106.2% with RSD less than 1.86%. An LC‐IT‐MS method was successfully applied to determine the UA and OA in nine Chinese herbs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microfluidic platform for studying the anti-cancer effect of ursolic acid on tumor spheroid

At present, the probability that a new anti-tumor drug will eventually succeed in clinical trials is extremely low. In order to make up for this shortcoming, the use of a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture model for secondary screening is often necessary. Cell spheroid is the easiest 3D model tool for drug screening. In this study, the microfluidic chip with a microwell array was manufactured, which could allow the formation of tumor spheroids with uniform size and easily retrieve cell spheroids from the chip. Cell spheroids were successfully cultured for over 15 days and the survival rate was as high as 80%. Subsequently, cellular response to the ursolic acid (UA) was observed on the chip. Compared to the monolayer culture cells in vitro, the tumor spheroids showed minor levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition fluctuation after drug treatment. The mechanism of cell spheroid resistance to UA was further verified by detecting the expression level of upstream pathway proteins. But the invasive ability of tumor spheroids was attenuated when the duration of action of UA extended. The anti-cancer effect of UA was innovatively evaluated on breast cancer by using the microfluidic device, which could provide a basis and direction for future preclinical research on UA.     

Antibacterial triterpenoids from the leaves of Ilex hainanensis Merr.

One new triterpenoid (1) and seven known analogues (2–8) were isolated from the leaves of Ilex hainanensis Merr.. Their structures were established by analysis of their MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data and comparison with those in the literature. The antibacterial activity of compounds 1–8 were evaluated by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration using twofold microdilution broth method against Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175 (Gram-positive) and Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953 (Gram-negative). Compounds 3 and 5 showed significant antibacterial activity against S. mutans in concentration of 9.7 μg/mL, while showed little antibacterial activity against F. nucleatum. On the contrary, the inhibitory activity of compounds 1, 2 and 6 against F. nucleatum were higher than them against S. mutans.     

Antioxidant and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of isoflavonoids from the rhizomes of Ficus tikoua Bur

A new unique isoflavone derivatives with a cyclic-monoterpene-substituent, ficusin C (1), together with five known compounds (2–6), were isolated from the rhizomes of Ficus tikoua. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation, mass spectrometric analysis and comparison with literature data of related compounds. Antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of these compounds were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay and α-glucosidase inhibitory experiment, respectively.     

Optimization of carvacrol,rosmarinic, oleanolic and ursolic acid extraction from oregano herbs (Origanum onites L., Origanum vulgare spp. hirtum and Origanum vulgare L.)

The aim of our study was to increase the extraction efficiency of carvacrol, rosmarinic, oleanolic and ursolic acid from the different species of oregano herbs (Origanum onites L., Origanum vulgare spp. hirtum and Origanum vulgare L.). Various extraction methods (ultrasound-assisted, heat-reflux, continuous stirring, maceration, percolation) and extraction conditions (different solvent, material:solvent ratio, extraction temperature, extraction time) were used, and the active substances were determined by HPLC. The lowest content of carvacrol, rosmarinic, oleanolic and ursolic acid was obtained by percolation. During heat-reflux extraction, the content of active substances depended on the solvent used: ethanol/non-aqueous solvent (glycerol or propylene glycol) mixture was more effective compared with ethanol alone. The results showed that for each species of oregano the most optimal extraction method should be selected to maximize the content of biologically active substances in the extracts.     

New neolignan glycoside and an unusual benzoyl malic acid derivative from Maytenus senegalensis leaves

Further investigation of the methanol leaf extract of Maytenus senegalensis led to the isolation of six compounds, including mayselignoside (1) and an unusual benzoyl malic acid derivative, benzoyl R-(+)-malic acid (2). Two known lignan derivatives (+)-lyoniresinol (3) and ( ? )-isolariciresinol (4), a known neolignan derivative dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (5) and the triterpenoid, β-amyrin (6) were also isolated. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by a combination of 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectroscopy. All compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against mouse lymphoma cell line (L5178Y) and for antimicrobial activity against strains of bacteria and fungi. None of the compounds showed promising cytotoxic and/or antimicrobial activities.     

Synthesis and bioactivity of novel nitric oxide-releasing ursolic acid derivatives

A series of furoxan-based novel nitric oxide-donating ursolic acid(UA) derivatives(7a-f) were synthesized,and their cytotoxic activities against HepG2 cells in vitro were evaluated by MTT method.It was found that 7a-d and 7f showed more potent cytotoxic activities than control 5-fluorouracil and UA.