A new synthesis of flavonoids via Heck reaction

Several naturally occurring flavonoids have been synthesised following a new proposed method based on the use of the Heck reaction. The key step involves the coupling of an aryl vinyl ketone with an aryl iodide. This procedure affords the flavonoid moiety in a single step.     

A new ent-clerodane diterpenoid from Crassocephalum bauchiense Huch. (Asteraceae)

A phytochemical investigation of the whole plant of Crassocephalum bauchiense Huch. resulted in the isolation of a new clerodane diterpenoid, ent-2β,18,19-trihydroxycleroda-3,13-dien-16,15-olide (1), together with two known flavonoids 3′,5-dihydroxy-4′,5′,6,7,8-pentamethoxyflavone (2) and 4′,5-dihydroxy-3′,5′,6,7,8-pentamethoxyflavone (3). The compounds were tested against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Compound 2 showed weak activity (IC₅₀ = 10.1 g/mL) whilst compounds 1 and 3 were inactive. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by using detailed spectral analyses, especially ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ¹H–¹H COSY, NOESY, HMBC and HR-ESI-MS.     

Regioselective para‐Carboxylation of Catechols with a Prenylated Flavin Dependent Decarboxylase

The utilization of CO₂ as a carbon source for organic synthesis meets the urgent demand for more sustainability in the production of chemicals. Herein, we report on the enzyme‐catalyzed para ‐carboxylation of catechols, employing 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid decarboxylases (AroY) that belong to the UbiD enzyme family. Crystal structures and accompanying solution data confirmed that AroY utilizes the recently discovered prenylated FMN (prFMN) cofactor, and requires oxidative maturation to form the catalytically competent prFMN^iminium species. This study reports on the in vitro reconstitution and activation of a prFMN‐dependent enzyme that is capable of directly carboxylating aromatic catechol substrates under ambient conditions. A reaction mechanism for the reversible decarboxylation involving an intermediate with a single covalent bond between a quinoid adduct and cofactor is proposed, which is distinct from the mechanism of prFMN‐associated 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions in related enzymes.     

First Total Synthesis of(±)-Puyanin and(±)-4'-Omethylbonannione

A facile approach for the first total synthesis of two naturally occurring geranylated flavonoids, (±)‐puyanin ( 1 ) and (±)‐4′‐O‐methylbonannione ( 2 ) has been obtained with total yields of 27% and 17.8%, respectively. The key steps were regioselective cyclization of geranylated trihydroxychalcone and regioselective geranylation of 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone.     

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Epimedium wushanense by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A new HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n) method was developed for rapid separation, characterization and quantitation of flavonoids in Epimedium wushanense, a popular Chinese herbal medicine. For qualitative identification, a total of 37 compounds were characterized from the underground and aerial parts of E. wushanense. Among them, 28 compounds were prenylated flavonoids, and 23 were confirmed by comparing with reference standards. For quantitative analysis, 12 major flavonoids including kaempferol glycosides, desmethylicaritin glycosides, and icaritin glycosides were simultaneously determined by HPLC/UV. Samples were separated on a Waters Symmetry C(18) column at 35 °C eluted with a gradient three-component mobile phase of acetonitrile, methanol, and water containing 0.03% v/v formic acid. All the flavonoids showed good linearity (r(2) ≥0.9997). The recoveries varied from 92.6 to 106.1% at three concentration levels. This method was applied to the determination of 20 samples of different geographical sources, harvesting time, and plant parts. Contents of the predominant flavonoid, epimedin C, ranged from 1.4 to 5.1% in aerial parts and 1.0 to 2.8% in underground parts. The methods established in this paper were simple and reliable and could be used for the quality control of E. wushanense.     

FTIR光谱快速鉴别刺梨黄酮的研究

采用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）分析了新鲜野生刺梨果肉、烘干刺梨果肉以及室温存放数日后刺梨果肉的红外光谱特性。为对比新鲜果肉与烘干果肉样品中刺梨黄酮的红外光谱特性,以新鲜野生刺梨果实为研究对象,分别采用了超声辅助溶剂萃取法和超声结合酶辅助半仿生法提取刺梨黄酮。并使用无水乙醇作为超声辅助溶剂萃取法的萃取剂萃取刺梨黄酮,以及使用胃蛋白酶,胰酶和胆汁等模仿胃肠消化的环境,在模拟半仿生条件下提取刺梨黄酮。在两种提取方法中,新鲜果肉和烘干果肉分别反应了0,0.5,1,1.5,2和2.5 h。分别测定了新鲜果肉刺梨黄酮和烘干果肉刺梨黄酮的红外光谱数据。然后,通过分析刺梨黄酮的红外光谱特性,比较了两种方法所提取刺梨黄酮的最佳特征波长组合,得知在相同的反应条件下,反应时间为1.5 h时,超声辅助溶剂萃取法中新鲜果肉与烘干果肉提取物红外光谱对应的透射率强度分别为83.5%和84%;超声结合酶辅助半仿生法中新鲜果肉与烘干果肉提取物红外光谱对应的透射率强度分别为32%和38%。因此,结合郎伯-比尔定律可知,反应时间相同时,对于刺梨黄酮的提取,超声结合酶辅助半仿生法优于超声辅助溶剂萃取法。除此之外,我们发现随着反应时间延长,两种提取方法所获提取物的红外光谱吸收峰强度均呈上升趋势,但是反应2 h后该提取物的红外光谱吸收峰强度趋于平稳。结果表明,刺梨黄酮在3 419 cm-1（羟基O-H伸缩振动）、1 615 cm-1（羰基C═O键伸缩振动）和1 053 cm-1（烷基）处的红外吸收峰对刺梨的新鲜程度具有较好的识别效果;通过比较分析,新鲜果肉与室温存放数日后果肉中的刺梨黄酮物质的红外光谱吸收峰分别与槲皮素和山奈酚吸收峰波数一致;在相同实验条件下,两种提取方法中烘干果肉刺梨黄酮提取物浓度均高于新鲜刺梨果肉。该研究可为刺梨功能化药品和食品的制作及鉴定提供参考。     

Activity of Compounds from Temperate Propolis against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania mexicana

Ethanolic extracts of samples of temperate zone propolis, four from the UK and one from Poland, were tested against three Trypanosoma brucei strains and displayed EC₅₀ values < 20 µg/mL. The extracts were fractionated, from which 12 compounds and one two-component mixture were isolated, and characterized by NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as 3-acetoxypinobanksin, tectochrysin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, 4′-methoxykaempferol, galangin, chrysin, apigenin, pinostrobin, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, cinnamyl ester/coumaric acid benzyl ester (mixture), 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol, and naringenin 4′,7-dimethyl ether. The isolated compounds were tested against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of T. brucei and Leishmania mexicana, with the highest activities ≤ 15 µM. The most active compounds against T. brucei were naringenin 4′,7 dimethyl ether and 4′methoxy kaempferol with activity of 15–20 µM against the three T. brucei strains. The most active compounds against L. mexicana were 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol and the coumaric acid ester mixture, with EC₅₀ values of 12.9 ± 3.7 µM and 13.1 ± 1.0 µM. No loss of activity was found with the diamidine- and arsenical-resistant or phenanthridine-resistant T. brucei strains, or the miltefosine-resistant L. mexicana strain; no clear structure activity relationship was observed for the isolated compounds. Temperate propolis yields multiple compounds with anti-kinetoplastid activity.     

Dietary Flavonoids: Cardioprotective Potential with Antioxidant Effects and Their Pharmacokinetic,Toxicological and Therapeutic Concerns

Flavonoids comprise a large group of structurally diverse polyphenolic compounds of plant origin and are abundantly found in human diet such as fruits, vegetables, grains, tea, dairy products, red wine, etc. Major classes of flavonoids include flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanols, anthocyanidins, isoflavones, and chalcones. Owing to their potential health benefits and medicinal significance, flavonoids are now considered as an indispensable component in a variety of medicinal, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic preparations. Moreover, flavonoids play a significant role in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which could be mainly due to their antioxidant, antiatherogenic, and antithrombotic effects. Epidemiological and in vitro/in vivo evidence of antioxidant effects supports the cardioprotective function of dietary flavonoids. Further, the inhibition of LDL oxidation and platelet aggregation following regular consumption of food containing flavonoids and moderate consumption of red wine might protect against atherosclerosis and thrombosis. One study suggests that daily intake of 100 mg of flavonoids through the diet may reduce the risk of developing morbidity and mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD) by approximately 10%. This review summarizes dietary flavonoids with their sources and potential health implications in CVDs including various redox-active cardioprotective (molecular) mechanisms with antioxidant effects. Pharmacokinetic (oral bioavailability, drug metabolism), toxicological, and therapeutic aspects of dietary flavonoids are also addressed herein with future directions for the discovery and development of useful drug candidates/therapeutic molecules.     

Two new promelacacinidin dimers,including a novel flavanone-flavanol dimer characterized by a unique C(3)-C(4) linkage,from the heartwood of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia nigrescens</Emphasis>

Two new promelacacinidin biflavonoids, mesquitol-(4α,5)-epimesquitol-4β-ol and a 3′,4′,7,8-tetrahydroxyflavanone(3,4)-ent-epimesquitol, were isolated among others from the heartwood of Acacia nigrescens. The flavanone derived dimer, characterized by a unique C(3) to C(4) bridge, which links the monomers via two stereogenic and sp³ hybridized C-atoms, is the prototype of a new subgroup of the flavonoid family. Assessment of the absolute configuration of all five stereogenic centers of this novel flavanone-derived biflavonoid was achieved by correlating the chiroptical properties of the benzoyl chromophore to the absolute configuration of C(2) of the flavanone moiety and hence the absolute stereochemistry of the other four chiral centers. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 437–441, September–October, 2007. Dedicated to Prof. E. Malan, who initiated and supervised this research project, for a noteworthy contribution in the flavonoid field, and who has since retired.     

The Interaction of Polyphenol Flavonoids with β-lactoglobulin: Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

The interaction of quercetin, quercitrin, and rutin, as natural polyphenolic compounds, with β-lactoglobulin (BLG) using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation methods was examined. Molecular docking studies showed that quercetin and quercitrin were bounded to the internal cavity of protein, while rutin was bounded to the entrance of the cavity because of its large structural volume. It was found that there were one-, three-, and four-hydrogen bond interactions between BLG and quercetin, quercitrin, and rutin respectively. This showed that with an increase in the number of OH groups in the flavonoid structure, there was an increase in the number of hydrogen bond interactions. The binding constants for the binding of quercetin, quercitrin, and rutin to BLG were 1.2 × 10⁶, 1.9 × 10⁶, and 7.4 × 10⁴ M^?1 respectively. The results of molecular dynamics simulation showed that the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of non-liganded BLG and BLG–ligand complexes reached equilibration after 3500 ps. The study of the radius of gyration revealed that BLG and BLG–ligand complexes were stabilized around 2500 ps, and unlike the two other complexes, there was no conformational change for BLG–quercetin. Finally, analyzing the RMS fluctuations suggested that the structure of the ligand binding site remained approximately rigid during simulation.