2-Hydroxyflavanones from Leptospermum polygalifolium subsp. polygalifolium Equilibrating sets of hemiacetal isomers

Metabolomic Profiling of Malaysian and New Zealand Honey Using Concatenated NMR and HRMS Datasets

This study aims to compare the metabolomic profiles of Malaysian and New Zealand honey while determining their anti-oncogenic activity for potential prophylactic functions. Metabolomics tools including multivariate analysis were applied on concatenated LC-HRMS and NMR datasets to afford an intensive chemical profile of honey samples and have a snapshot of the bioactive metabolites in the respective collections. Malaysian samples were found to have higher sugar and polyphenolic content, while New Zealand samples afforded higher concentration of low molecular weight (MW) lipids. However, New Zealand honey collected from the northern islands had higher concentration of acetylated saccharides, while those from the southern islands yielded higher low MW phenolic metabolites that were comparable to Malaysian honey. Mild anti-oncogenic compounds against breast cancer cell line ZR75 were putatively identified in Malaysian honey that included earlier described antioxidants such as gingerdiol, 2-hexylphenol-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, plastoquinone, tropine isovalerate, plumerinine, and 3,5-(12-phenyl-8-dodecenyl)resorcinol, along with several phenolic esters and lignans.

Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Flavonoid Derivatives from the Outer Skins of Allium cepa L

The onion, known as the bulb onion or common onion, is not only a key ingredient in many tasty and healthy vegetarian meals but also many traditional medicines. Nine new flavonoids [cepaflavas A, B (5, 6), cepadials A-D (7-9 and 14), and cepabiflas A-C (10-12)] and six known compounds (1-4, 13, 15) were obtained from the outer skins of Allium cepa L. Among them, compounds 5, 6, and 9 might be artificial products formed during extraction and isolation. New compounds were structurally elucidated using various spectroscopy/spectrometry techniques, including NMR and HRMS, and computational methods. Their absolute configurations were determined using time-dependent density functional theory calculations, combined with ECD spectroscopy, optical rotation calculation, and statistical procedures (CP3 and DP4 analysis). The free radical scavenging assays revealed that the new compounds 10-12 possessed considerable antioxidant activities with IC₅₀ values of 4.25-8.88 and 7.12-8.14 μM against DPPH and ABTS^•+, respectively. Compounds 13-15 showed substantial inhibitory activities against both α-glucosidase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), with IC₅₀ values of 0.89-6.80 and 1.13-6.82 μM, respectively. On the basis of molecular docking studies, 13 and 15 were predicted to have high binding capacity and strong affinity toward the active site of PTP1B.

Carbon-13 NMR Chemical Shift of Methyl Group: A Useful Parameter for Structural Analysis of C-Methylated Flavonoids

The 13C NMR resonances corresponding to the C-Me group of C-6 and/or C-8 C-methylated-flavonoids absorb between 6.7–10.0 ppm and typically between 6.7–8.7 ppm. A comparative 13C NMR study reflects that the 13C NMR chemical shifts reported for 6-hydroxy-5-methyl-3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyaurone-4-O-α-L-rhamnoside from Pterocarpus santalinus and 8-C-methyl-5,7,2′,4′- tetramethoxyflavanone from Terminalia alata are inconsistent with the assigned structures, and therefore need reconsideration.

Herbicidal β-triketones are compartmentalized in leaves of Leptospermum species: localization by Raman microscopy and rapid screening

The New Zealand mānuka shrub, Leptospermum scoparium, and the Australian L. morrisonii produce herbicidal β-triketones in their leaves. The localization of these potential self-toxicants has not been proven. We investigated the localization of these compounds in leaves using Raman microscopy. The results are presented as heat maps derived from principal component analysis (PCA) of the Raman spectra from sampling grids of leaf sections. This approach used undirected, data-driven analysis to qualitatively distinguish localized plant chemistry. The presence of β-triketones and lipophilic flavonoids was confirmed by GC-MS and (1) H NMR spectroscopy. Grandiflorone was compartmentalized within the leaf oil glands of L. morrisonii. Leptospermum scoparium also contained high concentrations of grandiflorone, previously reported as only a trace component in essential oils, localized in the oil glands in the leaves of varieties from diverse geographical locations. Raman microscopy was used to probe the chemistry of oil glands in several ornamental mānuka varieties, revealing high concentrations of bioactive flavonoids localized in these glands. The compartmentalization of β-triketones within oil glands inside leaves of Leptospermum shrubs may defend the plants against herbicidal activity.

Naturally Occurring Flavanones: An Overview

Flavanones are one of the most interesting naturally occurring flavonoids in view of their structural pattern as well as biological and pharmacological potentials. The present review deals with natural flavanones reported from 1998 to mid 2007, along with their biological and pharmacological activities. The review includes more than 160 new naturally occurring flavanones from 135 references. The reported flavonoids belong to thirty-six plant families.

Erigeroflavanone, a flavanone derivative from the flowers of Erigeron annuus with protein glycation and aldose reductase inhibitory activity

A novel 2,3-dioxygenated flavanone, erigeroflavanone ( 1), as well as eight known flavonoids and two known gamma-pyranone derivatives, were isolated from an ethyl acetate-soluble extract of the flowers of Erigeron annuus. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by interpretation of spectroscopic data. All of the isolates were subjected to in vitro bioassays to evaluate their inhibitory activity against advanced glycation end products formation and rat lens aldose reductase.

A new dihydroflavonol from Pinus sylvestris L

A novel dihydroflavonol, C-6,O-7-dimethylaromadendrin, was isolated from a 70% aqueous acetone extract of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) bark. Its structure was determined by high-resolution negative fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The complete assignment of proton and carbon signals was achieved by 2D NMR experiments: HSQC, HMBC, DQF-COSY and NOESY.