cis- and trans-Neocnidilide; 1H- and 13C-NMR Data of Some Phthalides

Identification of Novel -Glucosidase Inhibitors from Syzygium jambos (L.) Using Spectroscopy and Molecular Docking

Fruits of Syzygium jambos (L.) are recognized as a "food", exhibiting significant antidiabetic activities. However, the α-glucosidase inhibition of the components from Syzygium jambos (L.) have not yet been investigated. In this study, a total of 14 compounds were isolated from Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston, eight of which showed significant inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, with IC50 values in the range of 0.011-0.665 mM. Notably, compounds 1-3 (IC50: 0.013, 0.011 and 0.030 mM, respectively) exhibited much stronger activity than acarbose (IC50: 2.329 ± 0.109 mM). The enzyme kinetics study indicated that compound 1 was an uncompetitive inhibitor, and compounds 2-8 were mixed-type inhibitors. Moreover, the interactions between compounds and α-glucosidase were investigated by molecular docking, which further revealed that the number of olefin double bonds and 2-COOH of heptadeca-phenols had a notable effect on the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. This study demonstrated that Syzygium jambos (L.) fruit might serve as a functional food for the prevention of diabetes mellitus.

Anti-inflammatory activity of compounds from the rhizome of Cnidium officinale

Five new compounds, 9,3'-dimethoxyhierochin A (1), 6-oxo-trans-neocnidilide (2), (±)-(3E)-trans-6-hydroxy-7-methoxydihydroligustilide (3), (±)-cnidiumin (4), and 6-(1-oxopentyl)-salicylic acid methyl ester (5), together with twenty known compounds (6-25), were isolated from the rhizome of Cnidium officinale. The chemical structures of new compounds were established by NMR spectroscopic techniques, mass spectrometry, Mosher's method, and CD spectrum. Their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 7, 13, and 14 showed inhibitory effects with IC₅₀ values of 5.1, 24.5, and 27.8 μM, respectively. In addition, compounds 7, 13, and 14 reduced LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein in a concentration-dependent manner.

Antioxidant properties of cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide on human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro

A new chemical component, cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide, was isolated from Angelica sinensis and its structure elucidated from its NMR and MS spectra and confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. We also explored the antioxidative properties of cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) against injuries induced by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) using an MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. In addition, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined. We found that cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide increased the viability of HUVECs injured by H(2)O(2) in a dose-dependent manner, reduced the apoptosis of HUVEC, and enhanced HUVEC proliferation. Our results demonstrated the remarkable in vitro antioxidative activities of this compound, indicating that it could be a potential antioxidant with protective effects against H(2)O(2)-induced HUVEC injuries.

Bioactivity-guided fractionation and GC/MS fingerprinting of Angelica sinensis and Angelica archangelica root components for antifungal and mosquito deterrent activity

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the chloroform extract from the roots of Angelica sinensis led to isolation and characterization of (Z)-ligustilide using direct-bioautography with Colletotrichum species. The structure of (Z)-ligustilide was confirmed by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS. (Z)-Ligustilide deterred the biting of two mosquito species more effectively than DEET. Three different A. sinensis accessions and one Angelica archangelica root oil were evauated by GC and GC/MS, and the dominant component in A. sinensis was 61-69% (Z)-ligustilide. Two other prominent compounds in A. sinensis oils were 5.7-9.8% (E)-3-butylidene phthalide and 1.5-2.3% (Z)-3-butylidene phthalide. The main constituents that comprised A. archangelica oil were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as 24.5% alpha-pinene, 13.8% delta-3-carene, 10.1% beta-phellandrene, 8.8% p-cymene, 8.4% limonene, and 6.3% sabinene. Phthalides and monoterpene hydrocarbons were determined to be good systematic markers or chemical fingerprints for A. sinensis and A. archangelica root oils. Chemical fingerprinting by GC/MS of A. sinensis also confirmed the misidentification of one A. archangelica sample sold in the Chinese market.

Dynamic nature of the ligustilide complex

Monomeric phthalides such as Z-ligustilide (1) and Z-butylidenephthalide (2) are major constituents of medicinal plants of the Apiaceae family. While 1 has been associated with a variety of observed biological effects, it is also known for its instability and rapid chemical degradation. For the purpose of isolating pure 1 and 2, a gentle and rapid two-step countercurrent isolation procedure was developed. From a supercritical CO2 fluid extract of Angelica sinensis roots, the phthalides were isolated with high GC-MS purities of 99.4% for 1 and 98.9% for 2 and consistently lower qHNMR purities of 98.1% and 96.4%, respectively. Taking advantage of molarity-based qHNMR methodology, a time-resolved study of the dynamic changes and residual complexity of pure 1 was conducted. GC-MS and (qH)NMR analysis of artificially degraded 1 provided evidence for the phthalide degradation pathways and optimized storing conditions. Parallel qHNMR analysis led to the recognition of variations in time- and process-dependent sample purity and has impact on the overall assessment of time-dependent changes in complex natural products systems. The study underscores the importance of independent quantitative monitoring as a prerequisite for the biological evaluation of labile natural products such as monomeric phthalides.

A new procedure for the preparative separation and isolation of Z-ligustilide from the roots of Angelica sinensis

A new procedure for the separation and isolation of Z-ligustilide from the roots of Angelica sinensis (AS) was developed, and the storage conditions for Z-ligustilide were optimized. Using the present procedure, Z-ligustilide was enriched by decomposing the Z-ligustilide dimers yielding Z-ligustilide and dissolving the polar impurities in hot water. Then, the crude Z-ligustilide was further purified by a semipreparative HPLC system. The spiked and nonspiked samples were used for the evaluation of the proposed procedure. Recoveries obtained varied from 86.2 to 90.7% and RSDs from 4.0 to 6.6%. The yield and purity of the isolated Z-ligustilide were found to be 4.57 mg/g and 99.6%, respectively. The results of stability tests have shown that the presence of oxidant contributes to Z-ligustilide degradation, therefore argon was chosen as a shielding gas for storage. The overall procedure is efficient and convenient which is considered suitable for the preparative separation of Z-ligustilide from AS.

Serotonergic activity-guided phytochemical investigation of the roots of Angelica sinensis

Serotonin receptor (5-HT(7)) binding assay-directed fractionation of a methanol extract of the dried roots of Angelica sinensis led to the isolation and identification of 21 compounds including a new phenolic ester, angeliferulate (1), and three new phthalides, 10-angeloylbutylphthalide (2), sinaspirolide (3), and ansaspirolide (4), along with 17 known compounds, p-hydroxyphenethyl trans-ferulate (5), Z-ligustilide (6), Z-butylidenephthalide (7), senkyunolide I (8), Z-6-hydroxy-7-methoxydihydroligustilide (9), N-butylbenzenesulfonamide (10), 11(S),16(R)-dihydroxyoctadeca-9Z,17-diene-12,14-diyn-1-yl acetate (11), (3R,8S)-falcarindiol (12), heptadeca-1-en-9,10-epoxy-4,6-diyne-3,8-diol (13), oplopandiol (14), 8-hydroxy-1-methoxy-, Z-9-heptadecene-4,6-diyn-3-one (15), imperatorin, ferulic acid, vanillin, stigmasterol, sucrose, and 1,3-dilinolenin. This is the first report of a sulfonamide (10) identified from a higher plant source, although its presence needs further investigation. Biosynthetic pathways for dimeric phthalides 3 and 4 are proposed. Compounds 5, 7, 11, 12, 15, and imperatorin exhibited affinity toward 5-HT(7) receptors in a competitive binding assay.

Antibacterial activity of components fromLomatium californicum

The isolation, characterization and bioactivity testing of compounds from Lomatium californicum (Nutt.) are described. Ethyl acetate and hexane extracts of the roots of L. californicum were subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC), flash column chromatography (FCC) and separation by normal- and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Six compounds were isolated successfully and characterized by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimentation. The bioactivity of the known compounds (+)-falcarindiol, coniferyl ferulate, ferulic acid and (Z)-ligustilide were confirmed against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The known compounds senkyunolide I and trans-neocnidilide were also isolated but in too small a quantity for similar testing.

Comparison of Larvicidal, Adulticidal and Acaricidal Activity of Two Geometrical Butylidenephthalide Isomers

Insecticidal and acaricidal activities of two geometrical isomers, (E)- and (Z)-butylidenephthalide isolated from Angelica acutiloba, against larvae and adults of fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) and house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae and Tyrophagus putrescentiae) were investigated and compared with that of positive controls. (E)- and (Z)-Butylidenephthalide exhibited 50% lethal concentration (LC50) values of 2.07 and 0.94 micromol/ml of diet concentration against larvae of D. melanogaster, respectively. This indicated that two isomers of butylidenephthalide have geometrical stereoselectivity for larvicidal effect. Even though both (E)- and (Z)-butylidenephthalide also showed potent adulticidal and acaricidal activity against adults of D. melanogaster and two mites, there was no significant difference between two isomers. Insecticidal activity of both (E)- and (Z)-butylidenephthalide toward adults of C. felis was not detected even at the maximum concentration of 200 microg/cm2.

Larvicidal and adulticidal activity of alkylphthalide derivatives from rhizome of Cnidium officinale against Drosophila melanogaster

The insecticidal activity of the chloroform extract of Cnidium officinale rhizomes and its constituents was investigated against larvae and adults of Drosophila melanogaster and compared with that of rotenone. Bioassay-guided isolation of the chloroform extract of C. officinale resulted in the isolation and characterization of four alkylphthalides, cnidilide (1), (Z)-ligustilide (2), (3S)-butylphthalide (3), and neocnidilide (4). The structures of these compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis. The isolated compounds 2, 3, and 4 exhibited LC50 values of 2.54, 4.99, and 9.90 micromol/mL of diet concentration against larvae of D. melanogaster, respectively. Against both sexes (males/females, 1:1) of adults (5-7 days old), compound 3 showed the most potent activity of the compounds isolated with the LD50 value of 5.93 microg/adult, comparable to that of rotenone (LD50 = 3.68 microg/adult). Structure-activity relationships of phthalides isolated suggest that the presence of conjugation with the carbonyl group in the lactone ring appeared to play an important role in the larvicidal activity. Acetylcholinesterase (prepared from the adult heads of D. melanogaster) inhibitory activity was also investigated in vitro to determine the insecticide mode of action for the acute adulticidal activity.

Phytotoxic and Antifungal Compounds from Two Apiaceae Species, Lomatium californicum and Ligusticum hultenii, Rich Sources of Z-ligustilide and Apiol, Respectively

The seeds of two Apiaceae species, Ligusticum hultenii and Lomatium californicum, were investigated. Preliminary bioassays indicated that methylene chloride extracts of seeds of both species contained selective phytotoxic activity against monocots and antifungal activity against Colletotrichum fragariae. Active constituents were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation, and the structures were elucidated by NMR and GC-MS as apiol and Z-ligustilide, isolated from L. hultenii and L. californicum, respectively. Apiol and Z-ligustilide had I50 values of about 80 and 600 microM, respectively, for inhibition of the growth of Lemna paucicostata. The methylene chloride (CH2Cl2) extracts of the seeds and the isolated and purified compounds were tested against the 2-methylisobomeol-producing cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Oscillatoria perornata, and the green alga Selenastrum capricornutum. The CH2Cl2 extracts of both Apiaceae species and apiol were weakly toxic to both species of phytoplankton, while Z-ligustilide was toxic to both with a lowest complete inhibitory concentration (LCIC) of 53 microM. Seeds of L. californicum and L. hultenii were found to be rich sources of Z-ligustilide (97 mg/g of dry seed) and apiol (40 mg/g of dry seed), respectively.

Identification and Comparative Determination of Senkyunolide A in Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plants Ligusticum chuanxiong and Angelica sinensis by HPLC Coupled with DAD and ESI-MS

Using the HPLC/DAD/ESI/MS method, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of senkyunolide A (SA) in the rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong (Rhizoma chuanxiong; CX) and roots of Angelica sinensis (DG) was established. As a result, it was found that SA is a characteristic standard compound for the quality evaluation and chemical differentiation between CX and DG. Methanol was chosen in the preparation of standard solutions and extraction of samples based on the stability data. The identity of SA in CX and DG was unambiguously determined based on the quasimolecular ions in ESI-MS. A comprehensive validation of the method, including sensitivity, linearity, reproducibility and recovery, was conducted using the optimized chromatographic conditions. The linear calibration curve was acquired with R2>0.999 and limit of detection (S/N=3) was estimated to be 12.5 mug/g. The reproducibility was evaluated by repeated sample injection and replicated analysis of samples with the relative standard deviation (RSD) value found within 0.68%. The recovery rates of SA varied within the range of 96.91-101.50% with RSD less than 2.38%. In the present work, the contents of SA were quantified within 3.94-9.14 mg/g and 0.108-0.588 mg/g for 12 batches each of CX and DG. The results demonstrated that SA is a useful standard compound for the quality evaluation and chemical differentiation between CX and DG. The analytical procedure is precise and reproducible and thus suitable for the analysis of a large number of samples.

Insecticidal effect of phthalides and furanocoumarins from Angelica acutiloba against Drosophila melanogaster

Insecticidal activity of Angelica acutiloba extract and its constituents was investigated and compared with that of rotenone. Bioassay-guided isolation of the chloroform extract of A. acutiloba against larvae of Drosophila melanogaster afforded two phthalides, (Z)-butylidenephthalide (1) and (Z)-ligustilide (2), and two furanocoumarins, xanthotoxin (3) and isopimpinellin (4). The structures of these compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis. The isolated compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 exhibited LC(50) values of 0.94, 2.54, 3.35, and 0.82 micromol/mL of diet concentration against larvae of D. melanogaster, respectively. Against both sexes (males/females, 1:1) of adults (5-7 days old), compound 1 showed the most potent activity with a LD(50) value of 0.84 microg/adult. Compound 1 is a more active insecticide than rotenone (LD(50) = 3.68 microg/adult) and has potential as a novel insect control agent. However, compound 2 was inactive against adults. The structure-activity relationship of phthalides isolated indicated that the aromaticity appeared to play an important role in the activity of both larvae and adults. To determine the insecticide mode of action for acute adulticidal activity, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity was also investigated in vitro, and the result indicated that the acute adulticidal activity of compounds 3 and 4 was due to the inhibition of AChE.