Nine new alkaloids, eugeniinalines A-H (1-8) and (+)-eburnamenine N-oxide (9), comprising one quinoline, six indole, and two isogranatanine alkaloids, were isolated from the stem-bark extract of the Malayan Leuconotis eugeniifolia. The structures and absolute configurations of these alkaloids were established based on the analysis of the spectroscopic data, GIAO NMR calculations, DP4+ probability analysis, TDDFT-ECD method, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Eugeniinaline A (1) represents a new pentacyclic quinoline alkaloid with a 6/6/5/6/7 ring system. Eugeniinaline G (7) and its seco-derivative, eugeniinaline H (8), were the first isogranatanine alkaloids isolated as natural products. The known alkaloids leucolusine (10) and melokhanine A (11) were found to be the same compound, based on comparison of the spectroscopic data of both compounds, with the absolute configuration of (7R, 20R, 21S). Eugeniinalines A and G (1 and 7) showed cytotoxic activity against the HT-29 cancer cell line with IC50 values of 7.1 and 7.2 μM, respectively.
A new indole alkaloid; neonaucline (1), along with six known compounds-Cadamine (2), naucledine (3), harmane, benzamide, cinnamide and blumenol A-were isolated from the leaves of Ochreinauclea maingayii (Rubiaceae). In addition to that of compound 1, (13)C-NMR data of cadamine (2) and naucledine (3) were also reported. Structural elucidations of these alkaloids were performed using spectroscopic methods especially 1D- and 2D-NMR, IR, UV and LCMS-IT-TOF. The excellent vasorelaxant activity on isolated rat aorta was observed for the alkaloids 1-3 after injection of each sample at 1 × 10(-5) M.
Seven new indole alkaloids of the Strychnos type, leuconicines A-G (1-7), and a new eburnan alkaloid, (-)-eburnamaline (8), were isolated from the stem-bark extract of two Malayan Leuconotis species. The structures of these alkaloids were established using NMR and MS analysis and in the case of 8 also by partial synthesis. Alkaloids 1-5 reversed multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells.
A cytotoxic bisindole alkaloid possessing an unprecedented structure in which two indole moieties are bridged by an aromatic spacer unit has been isolated from Alstonia angustifolia. The structure was established by analysis of the spectroscopic data and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. A possible biogenetic pathway from pyrocatechuic acid and pleiocarpamine is presented.
Seven new indole alkaloids of the Aspidosperma type, jerantinines A-G (1-7), were isolated from a leaf extract of the Malayan Tabernaemontana corymbosa. The structures were established using NMR and MS analysis. Five of the alkaloids isolated and two derivatives (1-5, 8, 9) displayed pronounced in vitro cytotoxicity against human KB cells (IC50 < 1 microg/mL).
Ten new indole alkaloids, alstomaline (1), 10,11-dimethoxynareline (2), alstohentine (3), alstomicine (4), 16-hydroxyalstonisine (5), 16-hydroxyalstonal (6), 16-hydroxy-N(4)-demethylalstophyllal oxindole (7), alstophyllal (8), 6-oxoalstophylline (9), and 6-oxoalstophyllal (10), in addition to 21 other known ones, were obtained from the leaf extract of the Malayan Alstonia macrophylla. The structures were determined using NMR and MS analysis.
Examination of the EtOH extract of the leaves of the Malayan Tabernaemontana corymbosa resulted in the isolation of four new (1-4) and two known bisindole alkaloids (5, 6) of the Aspidosperma- Aspidosperma type. The structures of these alkaloids were determined based on analysis of the spectroscopic data (NMR and HRESIMS). X-ray diffraction analyses of the related bisindole alkaloids conophylline (5) and conophyllinine (6) established the absolute configurations. Treatment of the bisindole alkaloid conophylline (5) with benzeneselenic anhydride gave, in addition to the known bisindole polyervinine (7) previously isolated from another Malayan Tabernaemontana, another bisindole product, 8, an isolable tautomer of 7. X-ray diffraction analyses yielded the absolute configurations of both bisindoles and in addition showed that polyervinine (7) exists primarily as the neutral dione structure. The bisindoles (1-8) and the related conophylline-type bisindoles (9-13) showed pronounced in vitro growth inhibitory activity against an array of human cancer cell lines, including KB, vincristine-resistant KB, PC-3, LNCaP, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, A549, HT-29, and HCT 116 cells, with IC50 values for the active compounds in the 0.01-5 μM range.
Two new indole alkaloids, neolamarckines A and B (1, 2) were isolated from the leaves of Neolamarckia cadamba (Rubiaceae). Structural elucidation of 1 and 2 was performed by combination of 2D-NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectra, and chemical correlations. Neolamarckine A (1) showed inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) dose dependently.
Three new alkaloids were isolated from the bark extract of the Malayan Kopsia arborea, viz., arbophyllidine (1), an unusual pentacyclic, monoterpenoid indole characterized by an absence of oxygen atoms and incorporating a new carbon-nitrogen skeleton, and arbophyllinines A (2) and B (3), two pentacyclic corynanthean alkaloids incorporating a hydroxyethyl-substituted tetrahydrofuranone ring. The structures of the alkaloids were deduced based on analysis of the MS and NMR data and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses. The absolute configuration of arbophyllidine (1) was established based on experimental and calculated ECD data, while that of arbophyllinine A was based on X-ray diffraction analysis (Cu Kα). A reasonable biosynthetic route to arbophyllidine (1) from a pericine precursor is presented. Arbophyllidine (1) showed pronounced in vitro growth inhibitory activity against the HT-29 human cancer cell line with IC50 6.2 μM.
Two iboga-vobasine bisindoles, 16'-decarbomethoxyvoacamine (1: ) and its 19,20-dihydro derivative, 16'-decarbomethoxydihydrovoacamine (2: ) from Tabernaemontana corymbosa exhibited potent cytotoxicity against the human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells in our previous studies. Bisindoles 1: and 2: selectively inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells without significant cytotoxicity to normal human colon fibroblasts CCD-18Co. Treatment with bisindoles 1: and 2: suppressed the formation of HT-29 colonies via G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and induction of mitochondrial apoptosis. Owing to its higher antiproliferative activity, bisindole 2: was chosen for the subsequent studies. Bisindole 2: inhibited the formation of HT-29 spheroids (tumor-like cell aggregates) in 3D experiments in a dose-dependent manner, while an in vitro tubulin polymerization assay and molecular docking analysis showed that bisindole 2: is a microtubule-stabilizing agent which is predicted to bind at the β-tubulin subunit at the taxol-binding site. The binding resulted in the generation of ROS, which consequently activated the oxidative stress-related cell cycle arrest and apoptotic pathways, viz., JNK/p38, p21Cip1/Chk1, and p21Cip1/Rb/E2F, as shown by microarray profiling.
A new indole alkaloid, naucline (1) together with four known alkaloids, angustine (2), angustidine (3), nauclefine (4) and naucletine (5), were isolated from the bark of Nauclea officinalis. The structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated with various spectroscopic methods such as 1D- and 2D- NMR, IR, UV and LCMS-IT-TOF. In addition to that of alkaloid 1, the complete 13C-NMR data of naucletine (5) were also reported. Naucline (1) showed a moderate vasorelaxant activity (90% relaxation at 1 × 10(-5) M) whereas, angustine (2), nauclefine (4), and naucletine (5) showed potent vasorelaxant activity (more than 90% relaxation at 1 × 10(-5) M) on an isolated rat aorta.
Three new indole alkaloids (1-3), named grandilodines A-C, and five known ones were obtained from the Malayan Kopsia grandifolia. The structures were established using NMR and MS analyses and, in the case of 1 and 2, were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses. Alkaloids 1, 3, and lapidilectine B (8) were found to reverse multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells.
Leucofoline and leuconoline, representing the first members of the aspidospermatan-aspidospermatan and eburnane-sarpagine subclasses of the bisindole alkaloids, respectively, were isolated from the Malayan Leuconotis griffithii. The structures of these bisindole alkaloids were established using NMR and MS analysis, and in the case of leuconoline, confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Both alkaloids showed weak cytotoxicity towards human KB cells.
A total of 25 alkaloids were isolated from the leaf and stem-bark extracts of Alstonia spatulata, of which five are new alkaloids of the strychnan type (alstolucines A-E, 1-5) and the other, a new alkaloid of the secoangustilobine A type (alstolobine A, 6). The structures of these alkaloids were established using NMR and MS analysis and, in the case of alstolucine B (2), also confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. A reinvestigation of the stereochemical assignment of scholaricine (13) by NMR and X-ray analyses indicated that the configuration at C-20 required revision. Alkaloids 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13 reversed multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells.
Four new bisindole alkaloids of the Strychnos-Strychnos type, leucoridines A-D (1-4), were isolated from the stem-bark extract of Leuconotis griffithii. Alkaloids 1-4 showed moderate cytotoxicity against drug-sensitive and vincristine-resistant human KB cells.
A new bisindole alkaloid, bisnicalaterine A (1), consisting of two vobasine-type skeletons, and 3-epivobasinol (2) and 3-O-methylepivobasinol (3), with vobasine-type skeletons, were isolated from the leaves of Hunteria zeylanica, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical correlation. Bisnicalaterine A showed moderate cytotoxicity against various human cancer cell lines.
Four new indole alkaloids were obtained from two Kopsia species, 6-oxoleuconoxine (1) from the leaf extract of K. griffithii and kopsinitarine E (2), kopsijasminine (3), and kopsonoline (4) from the stem-bark extract of K. teoi. The structures of these alkaloids were determined using NMR and MS analysis. Kopsijasminine (3) showed moderate activity in reversing multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells.
Nine new indole alkaloids, rhazinoline (1), 19(S)-methoxytubotaiwine (2), 19(R)-methoxytubotaiwine (3), kopsamidine A (4), kopsamidine B (5), kopsinidine A (6), kopsinidine B (7), paucidactine C (8), and pericine N-oxide (9), in addition to several recently reported novel indoles and 34 other known ones, were obtained from the stem-bark extract of the Malayan Kopsia arborea. The structures were determined using NMR and MS analysis. Valparicine (12) showed pronounced cytotoxic effects against KB and Jurkat cells (IC(50) 13.0 and 0.91 microM, respectively).
The leaves of a tropical plant, Mitragyna speciosa KORTH (Rubiaceae), have been traditionally used as a substitute for opium. Phytochemical studies of the constituents of the plant growing in Thailand and Malaysia have led to the isolation of several 9-methoxy-Corynanthe-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, including new natural products. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and/or synthetic methods. The potent opioid agonistic activities of mitragynine, the major constituent of this plant, and its analogues were found in in vitro and in vivo experiments and the mechanisms underlying the analgesic activity were clarified. The essential structural features of mitragynines, which differ from those of morphine and are responsible for the analgesic activity, were elucidated by pharmacological evaluation of the natural and synthetic derivatives. Among the mitragynine derivatives, 7-hydroxymitragynine, a minor constituent of M. speciosa, was found to exhibit potent antinociceptive activity in mice.
A methanol extract of the stem bark of the Malayan Alstonia penangiana provided seven new bisindole alkaloids, comprising six macroline-sarpagine alkaloids (angustilongines E-K, 1-6) and one macroline-pleiocarpamine bisindole alkaloid (angustilongine L, 7). Analysis of the spectroscopic data (NMR and MS) of these compounds led to the proposed structures of these alkaloids. The macroline-sarpagine alkaloids (1-6) showed in vitro growth inhibitory activity against a panel of human cancer cell lines, inclusive of KB, vincristine-resistant KB, PC-3, LNCaP, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, HT-29, HCT 116, and A549 cells (IC50 values: 0.02-9.0 μM).