Isatindolignanoside A,a glucosidic indole-lignan conjugate from an aqueous extract of the Isatis indigotica roots

A glucosidic indole-lignan conjugate with a novel carbon skeleton, named isatindolignanoside A (1), was isolated from an aqueous extract of the Isatis indigotica roots “ban lan gen”. Its structure was elucidated by comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data, including J- and NOESY correlation-based configurational analysis, circular dichroism (CD) data, enzyme hydrolysis, and theoretical ECD calculation. In a preliminary assay, compound 1 showed antiviral activity against Coxsackie virus B3. This compound is the first example of natural product having a structural feature of conjugation between indole and lignan units, and its biosynthetic pathway is postulated.