Antimicrobially active isoquinoline alkaloids from Litsea cubeba.
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the alkaloidal extract of the aerial part of Litsea cubeba led to the isolation of two new isoquinoline alkaloids, (+)- N-(methoxycarbonyl)-N-norboldine (1) and (+)-isoboldine beta-N-oxide (2), together with 11 known analogues (3-13). Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic techniques and by comparing spectroscopic data with those in the literature. Compounds 1 and 4 showed antimicrobial activities. This is the first report on the presence of compounds 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12 in this plant and on the antimicrobial activities of 1 and 4. The bioactivities of isoquinoline alkaloids are also at least partly responsible for the pharmacological function of the folk medicinal plant Litsea cubeba.
Feng
Tao
T
State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, PR China.
Xu
Yan
Y
Cai
Xiang-Hai
XH
Du
Zhi-Zhi
ZZ
Luo
Xiao-Dong
XD
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032862:Litsea / Q000737:chemistry*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
D000470:Alkaloids; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D007546:Isoquinolines; D010936:Plant Extracts