Bio-active cardenolides from the leaves of Nerium oleander

• Published in: Phytochemistry (Oxford) 1999-02, Vol.50 (3), p.435-438
• Main Authors: Begum, Sabira, Siddiqui, Bina S, Sultana, Razia, Zia, Atiya, Amin Suria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apocynaceae; Biological and medical sciences; cardenolide; Cardenolides - chemistry; Cardenolides - isolation & purification; Cardenolides - pharmacology; Chemical constitution; CNS activity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General pharmacology; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Medical sciences; Mice; Molecular Structure; neridiginoside; Nerium oleander; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant physiology and development; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry
• ISSN: 0031-9422; 1873-3700
• DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9422(98)00523-8

A bioactivity directed isolation of the methanolic extract of the fresh, uncrushed leaves of Nerium oleander showing a central nervous system (CNS) depressant effect in mice has been undertaken. As a result, four CNS depressant cardenolides including a new cardenolide, neridiginoside and three known constituents, nerizoside, neritaloside and odoroside-H, have been isolated which exhibited CNS depressant activity in mice at a dose of 25 mg/kg. The structure of neridiginoside was elucidated as 3β- O-( d-diginosyl)-5β,14β-dihydroxy-card-20(22)-enolide, using spectroscopic methods including one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR (COSY-45, NOESY, J-resolved, HMQC and HMBC). The known compounds have been indentified through spectral studies and comparison of data with those reported in the literature.