Two New Naphthoquinone Derivatives from Lysionotus pauciflorus

Two new naphthoquinones, (2R)‐6,8‐dihydroxy‐α‐dunnione ( 1 ), 6,8‐dihydroxy‐2,7‐dimethoxy‐3‐(1,1‐dimethylprop‐2‐enyl)‐1,4‐naphthoquinone ( 2 ), together with three known compounds, (2R)‐6,8‐dihydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐α‐dunnione ( 3 ), nevadensin ( 4 ), and lysioside C ( 5 ), were isolated from the whole plant of Lysionotus pauciflorus. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods. Hydroxylated naphthoquinones are reported to occur in a Lysionotus species for the first time. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1 – 3 were evaluated in vitro against a panel of tumor cell lines.     

Triterpenoids from the Roots of Camellia oleifera C.Abel and Their Cytotoxic Activities

Three new triterpenoids, 21β,22α‐diangeloyloxy‐3β,15α,16α,28‐tetrahydroxyolean‐12‐en‐23‐al ( 1 ), 21β‐angeloyloxy‐3β,15α,16α,28‐tetrahydroxy‐22α‐(2‐methylbutanoyloxy)olean‐12‐en‐23‐al ( 2 ), and 21β‐angeloyloxy‐3β,16α,28‐trihydroxy‐22α‐(2‐methylbutanoyloxy)olean‐12‐en‐23‐al ( 3 ), along with six known triterpenoids, were isolated from the roots of Camellia oleifera C.Abel . The structures of compounds 1 – 3 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. Moreover, all compounds isolated were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities by MTT (=3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide) assay.     

Diketopiperazine Alkaloids Produced by the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus from the Stem of Erythrophloeum fordii Oliv.

Four new diketopiperazine alkaloids, rel‐(8R)‐9‐hydroxy‐8‐methoxy‐18‐epi‐fumitremorgin C ( 1 ), rel‐(8S)‐19,20‐dihydro‐9,20‐dihydroxy‐8‐methoxy‐9,18‐di‐epi‐fumitremorgin C ( 2 ), rel‐(8S,19S)‐19,20‐dihydro‐9,19,20‐trihydroxy‐8‐methoxy‐9‐epi‐fumitremorgin C ( 3 ), and (3S,8S,9S,18S)‐8,9‐dihydroxyspirotryprostatin A ( 4 ), together with the eight known compounds 5 – 12 , were isolated from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The structures of the new compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods including HR‐ESI‐MS, NMR, and CD experiments. Compound 12 showed weak inhibitory activity in vitro against the release of β‐glucuronidase in rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes induced by the platelet‐activating factor. None of the twelve compounds exhibited detectable cytotoxic activities toward five human tumor cell lines (HCT‐8, Bel‐7402, BGC‐823, A549, and A2780) in the MTT assay.     

A New Tricyclic Alkaloid from Portulaca oleracea L.

A new tricyclic alkaloid named portulacatone ( 1 ), i.e., 5,6‐dihydro‐8,9‐dihydroxy‐11H‐pyrrolo[2,1‐b] [3]benzazepin‐11‐one, together with eight known compounds, methyl 4‐hydroxyphenylacetate ( 2 ), p‐hydroxybenzaldehyde ( 3 ), vanillin ( 4 ), protocatechualdehyde ( 5 ), p‐hydroxybenzoic acid ( 6 ), iseluxine ( 7 ), oleracein E ( 8 ), and (+)‐(R)‐feruloyl malate ( 9 ) were isolated from aerial parts of Portulaca oleracea L. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses. Among them, compounds 1 – 7 and 9 were isolated from this medicinal plant for the first time. Compounds 1 and 7 showed dose‐dependent scavenging activities against DPPH (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picryl‐hydrazyl) free radical, with EC₅₀ values of 14.36 μM and 9.98 μM , respectively, more potent than the natural antioxidant vitamin C (EC₅₀ 20.72 μM ).     

11‐ and 4′‐Epimers of Chaetomugilin A,Novel Cytostatic Metabolites from Marine Fish‐Derived Fungus Chaetomium globosum

11‐ and 4′‐epichaetomugilin A were isolated from a strain of Chaetomium globosum that was originally isolated from the marine fish Mugil cephalus. 11‐Epichaetomugilin A is the first compound to have an opposite absolute configuration at C(11) to that of other azaphilones isolated to date. Their absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR techniques, and some chemical transformations. 11‐Epichaetomugilin A weakly inhibited the growth of cultured P388 cells and HL‐60 cells (IC₅₀ 88.9 and 66.7 μM , resp.).     

Xanthones and Oxepino[2, 3‐b]chromones from Three Endophytic Fungi

Three new metabolites, microsphaeropsones A–C ( 1 – 3 ) with a unique oxepino[2,3‐b]chromen‐6‐one (ring‐enlarged xanthone) skeleton, were isolated from the endophytic fungus Microsphaeropsis species, co‐occurring with their putative biogenetic anthraquinoide precursors citreorosein ( 4 ) and emodin ( 5 ). From another Microsphaeropsis species, large amounts of fusidienol A ( 8 a ), smaller amounts of emodin ( 5 ), the known aromatic xanthones 9 a and 9 b , the new 3,4‐dihydrofusidienol A ( 8 b ), and the new aromatic xanthone 9 c were isolated. The endophyte Seimatosporium species produced a new aromatic xanthone, seimatoxanthone A ( 10 ), and 3,4‐dihydroglobosuxanthone A ( 12 ), closely related to α‐diversolonic ester ( 13 ) from Microdiplodia sp.. The structures were determined mainly by extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments and supported by X‐ray single‐crystal analysis of 1 and the oxidation product 7 . The absolute configurations of the microsphaeropsones A–C ( 1 – 3 ) were established by comparison of the electronic and vibrational circular dichroism (ECD and VCD) spectra of 1 with time‐dependent DFT (TDDFT) and DFT calculations by using either the solid‐state structures or DFT‐optimized geometries as inputs. Preliminary studies indicated that 1 , 2 , and enone 7 showed antibacterial, fungicidal, and algicidal properties.     

Two New Limonoids from the Root Bark of Chinese Medicinal Plant Dictamnus dasycarpus

Two new limonoids, kihadanin C ( 1 ) and 23‐methoxydasylactone A ( 2 ), together with seven related known ones, 3 – 9 , were isolated from the root bark of the plant Dictamnus dasycarpus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive analyses of their spectroscopic data (1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, MS) and by comparison of their NMR data with those reported in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, 1 presents the first example of A,D‐seco limonoid with an unusual 3,4‐dihydroxy‐2,5‐dimethoxytetrahydrofuran moiety as ring E. In the bioassay in vitro, 7 showed moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, while 8 and 9 displayed neuroprotective activities against H₂O₂‐induced injury in SH‐SY5Y cells.     

Baeckeins J and K,Two Novel C‐Methylated Biflavonoids from the Roots of Baeckea frutescens and Their Cytoprotective Activities

Baeckea frutescens is an aromatic shrub used as ornamentals and as food flavor spices in the southern part of P. R. China. Two novel C‐methylated biflavonoids named baeckeins J ( 1 ) and K ( 2 ) were isolated from the roots of B. frutescens, which possessed the unique carbon skeleton conjugated of a flavonol and one isoflavanonol molecule via the linkages of C(2)–C(8*) and C(3)–O–C(7*). The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated by analysis of 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, and HR‐ESI‐MS spectral data, and the absolute configuration for chiral C‐atoms C(2) and C(3) were assigned by CD spectrometry combined with quantum chemical calculations. In the bioassay, baeckeins J and K exhibited strong cytoprotective effects on H₂O₂‐induced oxidative cell death in PC12 cells.     

人面果树皮中口 山 酮 化合物及其DPPH自由基的清除活性

从人面果乙酸乙酯提取物中分离出5个新的口 山 酮 化合物garcinenone A (1), B (3), C (4), D (7) and E (8)和7个已知化合物,其结构经过波谱技术,特别是2D-NMR技术来鉴定。Jacareubin (2), 1,4,6-trihydroxy-5-methoxy-7-(3-methyl-2-buteny1)xanthone (6), subeliptenone B (11) 和symphoxanthone (12)为首次从该植物中分离出来。在DPPH自由基的清除活性实验中,所有的化合物都显示抗氧化活性,其IC50的值在 6.0-23.2 mM。结果表明人面果是潜在的有前景的天然抗氧化剂。     

Sesquiterpenes from Rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus with Cytotoxic Activities on Human Cancer Cells in vitro

Two new sesquiterpenes, cyperusol A₃ ( 1 ) and 3β‐hydroxycyperenoic acid ( 2 ), along with three known sesquiterpenes, britanlin E ( 3 ), 1β,4α‐dihydroxyeudesm‐11‐ene ( 4 ), and 11,12‐dihydroxyeudesm‐4‐en‐3‐one ( 5 ), were isolated from the AcOEt‐soluble fraction of rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus L. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by physical and spectroscopic methods (¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, 2D‐NMR, and MS). All of the isolates, 1 – 5 , were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against human ovarian cancer cells (A2780) and endometrial adenocarcinoma cells (Ishikawa) using MTT assays.     

Antimicrobial Depsides Produced by Cladosporium uredinicola,an Endophytic Fungus Isolated from Psidium guajava Fruits

Four depsides, all of them new as natural products, were isolated from Cladosporium uredinicola solid‐media culture and identified as 3‐hydroxy‐2,5‐dimethylphenyl 2,4‐dihydroxy‐3,6‐dimethylbenzoate ( 1 ), 3‐hydroxy‐2,4,5‐trimethylphenyl 2,4‐dihydroxy‐3,6‐dimethylbenzoate ( 2 ), 3‐hydroxy‐2,5‐dimethylphenyl 3‐[(2,4‐dihydroxy‐3,6‐dimethylbenzoyl)oxy]‐6‐hydroxy‐2,4‐dimethylbenzoate ( 3 ), and 3‐hydroxy‐2,4,5‐trimethylphenyl 3‐[(2,4‐dihydroxy‐3,6‐dimethylbenzoyl)oxy]‐6‐hydroxy‐2,4‐dimethylbenzoate ( 4 ). The endophytic fungus was isolated from Psidium guajava fruits and cultivated over sterilized rice. The compounds 1 – 4 were purified by classical chromatographic procedures, and the chemical structures were identified by spectroscopic studies, mainly 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR and LC/ESI‐MS/MS. Three of the isolated depsides exhibited moderate bacteriostatic and/or bactericide effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtillis.     

元胡多糖YhPS-1的理化性质、结构分析及抗肿瘤活性研究

A polysaccharide named YhPS- 1 was isolated from the root of Cordalis yanhusuo Wang and purified by means of gel-permeation chromatography and ionexchange chromatography. Its physicochemical properties, including monosaccharide composition, carbohydrate content, molecular weight and elemental composition, were determined. The structure of YhPS-1 was elucidated by chemical methods along with ^1H and ^13C NMR spectroscopy ways, such as including two-dimensional HMQC and HMBC experiments. These results show that YhPS-1 possesses a backbone consisting of terminal α-Glcp-（1→, a-Glcp-（1→6）, a-Glcp-（1→4） and a-Glcp-（1→4,6）. The bioactive assay showed that it could inhibit the growth of Sarcoma 180 and Lewis pulmonary carcinoma implanted in mice.     

3‐O‐Methylquercetin Glucosides from Ophioglossum pedunculosum and Inhibition of Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced Nitric Oxide Production in RAW 264.7 Macrophages

The three new 3‐O‐methylquercetin glucosides 1 – 3 , together with three known congeners and 3‐O‐methylquercetin, were isolated from the fern Ophioglossum pedunculosum (quercetin=2‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐3,5,7‐trihydroxy‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐4‐one). The new compounds were identified on the basis of spectroscopic analysis as 5′‐isoprenyl‐3‐O‐methylquercetin 4′,7‐di‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside ( 1 ), 3‐O‐methylquercetin 4′‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside 7‐[O‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside] ( 2 ), and 3‐O‐methylquercetin 7‐[O‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside] ( 3 ). The effect of the isolated compounds on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced NO production was evaluated. The inhibitory activity of 3‐O‐methylquercetin derivatives decreased markedly with the increasing number of glucosyl groups in the structures.     

New Sesquiterpenoids from Ligularia duciformis

From the whole plants of Ligularia duciformis, four new sesquiterpenoids, 3β‐acetoxy‐6β‐methoxyeremophila‐7(11),9(10)‐dien‐12,8β‐olide ( 1 ), 3β‐acetoxy‐8α‐hydroxy‐6β‐methoxyeremophila‐7(11),9(10)‐dien‐12,8β‐olide ( 2 ), 3β‐acetoxy‐10β‐hydroxy‐6β,8β‐dimethoxyeremophil‐7(11)‐en‐12,8α‐olide ( 3 ), and 3β‐acetoxy‐6β,8β,10β‐trihydroxyeremophil‐7(11)‐en‐12,8α‐olide ( 4 ) were isolated. Their structures were established by high‐field NMR techniques (¹H,¹H‐COSY, ¹³C‐APT, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and HR‐ESI‐MS analysis, together with comparison of the spectroscopic data with those of structurally related compounds. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the new compounds against human hepatic cancer cells Bel‐7402, human pneumonic cancer cells A‐549, and human colonic cancer cells HCT‐8 were evaluated, the new compounds showed no cytotoxicity against the three tumor cells (all IC₅₀ values >200 μM ).     

Clerodendrumic Acid,a New Triterpenoid from Clerodendrum glabrum (Verbenaceae), and Antimicrobial Activities of Fractions and Constituents

One new triterpenoid, (3β,11α,19β)‐3‐(butanoyloxy)‐11‐hydroxytaraxast‐20(30)‐ene‐23,28‐dioic acid (clerodendrumic acid; 1 ) was isolated from the hexane extract of the leaves of Clerodendrum glabrum var. glabrum along with heptadecanoic acid ( 2 ). The structure of the new compound was elucidated by interpretation of its NMR (1D and 2D), MS, and IR data. Combined fractions C and D from the column chromatography of the hexane extract exhibited significant antifungal activities (average MIC of 0.10 mg/ml) against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. C. albicans was relatively resistant to clerodendrumic acid ( 1 ; MIC 125 μg/ml) and was resistant to heptadecanoic acid ( 2 ; MIC 188 μg/ml). Both compounds had low antibacterial activities against two Gram‐positive and two Gram‐negative bacteria with average MIC values of 157 and 172 μg/ml, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 were relatively nontoxic against monkey kidney Vero cells in vitro with IC₅₀ values of 202.6 and 108.4 μg/ml, respectively.     

Cytotoxic Evaluation of Pungencine: A New Tropane Alkaloid from the Roots of Erythroxylum pungens O. E. Schulz

A new tropane alkaloid as well as a new substitution group, (3‐endo,8‐anti)‐8‐methyl‐8‐azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct‐3‐yl 4‐hydroxy‐3,5‐dimethoxybenzoate, called pungencine ( 1 ), was isolated from the roots of Erythroxylum pungens O. E. Schulz . The structure was elucidated by spectral analyses, including ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR and 2D‐NMR techniques (¹H,¹H‐COSY, NOESY, DEPT, HMQC, and HMBC) and HR‐ESI‐MS. Furthermore, compound 1 was tested for cytotoxicity against several cell lines (Jurkat, HL‐60, U937, K562, KG‐1, and U266) and was determined not to inhibit cell viability at 10 μM .     

A Novel Xanthone from Garcinia oligantha

One novel xanthone, oliganthone A ( 1 ), was isolated from the stems of the plant Garcinia oligantha. It features the O‐bearing C(3)‐atom and absence of C(4) compared with the structures of related known xanthones, which have never been reported before. The structure of this compound was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 showed strong HeLa cell growth‐inhibiting effects with IC₅₀ values below 10 μM .     

Polyoxygenated Sterols from Freshwater Clam

Two new biologically active polyoxygenated sterols, 3,5,9‐trihydroxycholest‐7‐en‐6‐one ( 1 ) and cholest‐7‐ene‐3,6,9‐triol ( 3 ), together with one known sterone, topsentisterol D3 ( 2 ), were isolated from freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea Muller ; an important cultured edible shellfish in Taiwan). The structure elucidation of sterols 1 – 3 were accomplished by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, HMQC, and HMBC, and MS analyses. The sterols 1 – 3 displayed cytotoxicities against the human hepatoma Hep G2 cells (IC₅₀: 6.04±0.07, 40.78±4.28, and 10.57±0.51 μg/ml, resp.).     

Two New Prenylated Xanthones from the Pericarp of Garcinia mangostana (Mangosteen)

Two new prenylated xanthones (=9H‐xanthen‐9‐ones), garcimangosxanthones D ( 1 ) and E ( 2 ), together with the six known xanthones 3 – 8 , were isolated from the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana. Their structures were determined by analysis of their spectroscopic data. All of the isolated compounds were biologically evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against A549, Hep‐G2, and MCF‐7 human‐cancer cell lines and antioxidant activity. Compound 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against Hep‐G2 (IC₅₀=19.2 μM ) and weak cytotoxicity against MCF‐7 (IC₅₀=62.8 μM ) cell lines, and compound 2 showed moderate cytotoxicity against A549, Hep‐G2, and MCF‐7 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 12.5–20.0 μM (Table 2). Both compounds 1 and 2 demonstrated a weak antioxidant activity with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values of 41±7 and 130±4 μmol/g, respectively (Table 3).     

Three New Indole Alkaloids from the Leaves of Kopsia officinalis

Three new indole alkaloids, 11,12‐de(methylenedioxy)danuphylline ( 1 ), methyl (2β,11β,12β,19α)‐6,7‐didehydro‐8,21‐dioxo‐11,21‐cycloaspidospermidine‐2‐carboxylate ( 2 ), and (2β,5β)‐aspidofractinin‐16‐ol ( 3 ) were isolated from Kopsia officinalis, together with 16 known compounds. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. The isolated known compound (?)‐12‐methoxykopsinaline displayed antimanic effects in Drosophila, with an IC₅₀ value of 12.5 μg/ml.