Aporphine Alkaloids from Illigera aromatica from Guangxi Province, China

• Published in: Phytochemistry (Oxford) 2018-10, Vol.154, p.73-76
• Main Authors: Ge, Yi-Chao, Zhang, Hai-Jiang, Wang, Kui-Wu, Fan, Xin-Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; Aporphine alkaloid; Aporphines - chemistry; Aporphines - isolation & purification; Aporphines - pharmacology; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; China; Cytotoxicity; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - isolation & purification; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Hernandiaceae; Hernandiaceae - chemistry; Humans; Illigera aromatica; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Molecular Structure; NMR; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 0031-9422; 1873-3700
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.06.017

Three undescribed aporphine alkaloids laurodionine B (1), illigerine A (2), and N-formyl-laurolitsine (3) were isolated from the methanolic extracts of the Chinese medicinal plant, Illigera aromatica, together with three known analogues (4–6). The chemical structures of 1–6 were identified by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRESIMS). Compounds 1–3 showed moderate inhibitory activities in vitro against two cultured tumor cell lines, Hela and SMMC7721, with IC50 values of 32.42–62.90 μM. Only compound 1 had in vitro cytotoxic activity against Bcap37 cells, with the IC50 value of 90.61 μM. The three undescribed aporphine alkaloids isolated from Illigera aromatica showed moderate anti-tumor activities in vitro against to Hela and SMMC7721 tumor cells with IC50 values of 32.42–62.90 μM, respectively. [Display omitted] •Six cytotoxic aporphine alkaloids were isolated from Illigera aromatica.•Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis.•1–3 were undescribed natural compounds with anti-tumor activity.•The results might helpful for explaining the use of I. aromatica in TCM.•Aporphine alkaloid is useful as characteristic markers in chemotaxonomic research.