The application of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the study of vector transmitted diseases considerably improves the management of the information obtained from the field survey and facilitates the study of the distribution patterns of the vector species.
Phytochemical investigation of Beilschmiedia alloiophylla has resulted in the isolation of one new alkaloid, 2-hydroxy-9-methoxyaporphine (1), and ten known natural products, laurotetanine (2), liriodenine (3), boldine (4), secoboldine (5), isoboldine (6), asimilobine (7), oreobeiline (8), 6-epioreobeiline (9), β-amyrone (10), and (S)-3-methoxynordomesticine (11). Chemical studies on the bark of B. kunstleri afforded compounds 2 and 4 along with one bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, N-dimethylphyllocryptine (12). Structures of compounds 1-12 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All of these isolates were evaluated for their anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE), anti-α-glucosidase, anti-leishmanial and anti-fungal activities. Compounds 1-12 exhibited strong to moderate bioactivities in aforementioned bioassays.
Generation of reactive oxygen species plays a pivotal role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The present study describes the effects of the methanolic extract of Phoebe grandis (MPG) stem bark on reactive oxygen species-induced endothelial dysfunction in vitro. Endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine, ACh) and -independent relaxation (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) was investigated from isolated rat aorta of Sprague-Dawley (SD) in the presence of the β-NADH (enzymatic superoxide inducer) and MPG extract. Superoxide anion production in aortic vessels was measured by lucigen chemiluminesence. Thirty minutes incubation of the rat aorta in vitro with β-NADH increased superoxide radical production and significantly inhibited ACh-induced relaxations. Pretreatment with MPG (0.5, 5 and 50 μg/mL) restored the ACh-induced relaxations (R(max): 92.29% ± 2.93, 91.02% ± 4.54 and 88.31 ± 2.36, respectively) in the presence of β-NADH. MPG was ineffective in reversing the impaired ACh-induced relaxations caused by pyrogallol, a non-enzymatic superoxide generator. Superoxide dismutase (a superoxide scavenger), however, reversed the impaired ACh relaxations induced by both β-NADH and pyrogallol. MPG also markedly inhibited the β-NADH-induced generation of the superoxide radicals. Furthermore, MPG scavenging peroxyl radicals generated by tBuOOH (10⁻⁴ M).These results indicate that MPG may improve the endothelium dependent relaxations to ACh through its scavenging activity as well as by inhibiting the NADH/NADPH oxidase induced generation of superoxide anions.
The title compound, systematic name 9-isopropyl-idene-2,6-dimethyl-11-oxatricyclo-[6.2.1.0(1,5)]undec-6-en-8-ol, C(15)H(22)O(2), which crystallizes with two mol-ecules of similar conformation in the asymmetric unit, features three fused rings, two of which are five-membered and the third six-membered. Of the two five-membered rings, the one with an O atom has a distinct envelope shape (with the O atom representing the flap). The six-membered ring is also envelope-shaped as it shares a common O atom with the five-membered ring. In the crystal, the two independent mol-ecules are linked by a pair of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating a dimer.
Dunaliine A (1), a new amino diketone, has been isolated from the leaves of Desmos dunalii together with four known dihydrochalcones: 2',4-dihydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxy-3',5'-dimethyldihydrochalcone (2), 2',4-dihydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxydihydrochalcone (3), 2',4-dihydroxy-4',5',6'-trimethoxydihydrochalcone (4) and 2',4-dihydroxy-5'-methyl-4',6'-dimethoxydihydrochalcone (5). The structures of these compounds were established notably by spectral analysis (1D- and 2D- (1)H, (13)C NMR), UV, IR and HRMS.
The stem bark of Phoebe grandis afforded one new oxoproaporphine; (-)-grandine A (1), along with six known isoquinoline alkaloids: (-)-8,9-dihydrolinearisine (2), boldine, norboldine, lauformine, scortechiniine A and scortechiniine B. In addition to that of the new compound, complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data of the tetrahydroproaporphine (-)-8,9-dihydrolinearisine (2) is also reported. The alkaloids' structures were elucidated primarily by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR and HRMS spectral data.
A new bisindole alkaloid, bisnicalaterine A (1), consisting of two vobasine-type skeletons, and 3-epivobasinol (2) and 3-O-methylepivobasinol (3), with vobasine-type skeletons, were isolated from the leaves of Hunteria zeylanica, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical correlation. Bisnicalaterine A showed moderate cytotoxicity against various human cancer cell lines.
The mol-ecule of accanthomine A, C(15)H(13)N(5), is approximately planar, with the indolyl fused-ring and the pyrimidyl ring being twisted by 31.7 (1)° The amino group of the five-membered ring is an intramolecular hydrogen-bond donor to a nitro-gen acceptor of the pyrimide ring. The amino group of the pyrimide ring is a hydrogen-bond donor to the N atoms of adjacent mol-ecules. These hydrogen-bonding inter-actions give rise to a layered network with a 4.8(2) topology.
The bark of Cryptocarya crassinervia provided two new phenantrene alkaloids, 2-hydroxyatherosperminine (1) and N-demethyl-2-methoxyatherosperminine (2).
The phytochemical study of the bark of Malaysian Phoebe scortechinii (Lauraceae) has resulted in the isolation and identification of two new proaporphine alkaloids; (+)-scortechiniine A (1) and (+)-scortechiniine B (2) together with two known proaporphines; (-)-hexahydromecambrine A (3), (-)-norhexahydromecambrine A (4), and one aporphine; norboldine (5). Structural elucidations of these alkaloids were performed using spectroscopic methods especially 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR.
The leaves of the Phoebe scortechinii (Gamb.) Kochummen Comb. Nov. (Lauraceae), afforded one new proaporphine-tryptamine dimer; (-)-phoebescortechiniine (1), along with two known ones; phoebegrandine A and phoebegrandine B. The proaporphine, tetrahydropronuciferine (2), was isolated for the first time as a natural product. The alkaloids were elucidated primarily by means of high field NMR and HRMS.
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(29)H(50)O(2), contains two mol-ecules; one mol-ecule is linked to the other by two O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, whereas only one of the hydr-oxy groups of the second mol-ecule is involved in hydrogen bonding. This gives rise to a chain that runs along the a axis of the monoclinic unit cell.
Five new cytotoxic limonoids, erythrocarpines A-E (1-5), were isolated from the bark of Chisocheton erythrocarpus Hiern. Chemical structures, stereochemistry, and conformation were fully elucidated and characterized by 2D NMR, MS, and computational methods.
The hydr-oxy groups in the title compound, C(16)H(14)O(4), are each hydrogen bonded to the adjacent meth-oxy O atom; one of the two hydr-oxy groups is additionally linked to the O atom of the meth-oxy group of another mol-ecule, forming a linear chain.
The alkaloidal extract of the leaves of Phoebe grandis (nees) merr. have provided two new minor alkaloids; phoebegrandine D (1), a proaporphine-tryptamine dimer, and phoebegrandine E (2), an indoloquinolizidine. This is the first report on the occurrence of an indoloquinolizidine in the Phoebe species. The crude extract also exhibited antiplasmodial activity (IC50<8 microg mL-1). The structures of the novel compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, notably 2D NMR and HRMS.
A new linderone A, namely 2-cinnamoyl-3-hydroxy-4, 5-dimethoxycyclopenta-2, 4-dienone (5), together with three known flavonoids (1-3) and one linderone (4), were isolated from the bark of Lindera oxyphylla. Extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D-NMR spectra determined their sturctures. In addition, the antioxidant activity of all the compounds has been determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) methods. Compound 3 showed excellent DPPH scavenging activity with IC50% value of 8.5 ± 0.004% (μg/mL) which is comparable with vitamin C. This compound, also showed an absorbance value of 1.00 ± 0.06% through FRAP test when compared with Butyl Hydroxy Aniline (BHA). However, FIC showed low activity for all the isolated compounds (chelating activity less than 50%) in comparison with ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA). Anticancer activity for all compounds has also been measured on A375 human melanoma, HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma, MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cells, WRL-68 normal hepatic cells, A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells and PC-3 prostate adenocarcinoma cell line. Compound 1 showed A549=65.03%, PC-3=30.12%, MCF-7=47.67, compound 2 showed PC-3=90.13%, compound 3 showed MCF-7=79.57 and for compound 5 MCF-7 is 96.33.
Three new 5,1'-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, ancistrobenomine A (1), 6-O-demethylancistrobenomine A (2), and 5'-O-demethylancistrocline (3), have been isolated from the stem bark of a botanically as yet undescribed highland liana Ancistrocladus sp., proposed to be named "A. benomensis" according to the region in Peninsular Malaysia where it has been discovered on the mountain of Gunung Benom. Two of the compounds possess an unprecedented structure with a novel hydroxymethylene group at C-3 of the fully dehydrogenated isoquinoline moiety. The structural elucidation was achieved by chemical, spectroscopic, and chiroptical methods. As typical of the so-called Ancistrocladaceae type, all of the compounds isolated bear an oxygen at C-6. Biological activities of these alkaloids against different protozoic pathogens are described.
Three new fully dehydrogenated naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, the 7,1'-coupled ent-dioncophylleine A (3a), the likewise 7,1'-coupled 5'-O-demethyl-ent-dioncophylleine A (4), and the 7,8'-linked dioncophylleine D (5), have been isolated from the leaves of the recently described Malaysian highland liana Ancistrocladusbenomensis. All of them lack an oxygen function at C-6; this so-called Dioncophyllaceae-type structural subclass had previously been found only in naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids from West and Central African plants. Moreover, compounds 3a and 4 are the first fully dehydrogenated, i.e., only axially chiral, naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids of this type that are optically active; compound 5, by contrast, is fully racemic, due to its configurationally unstable biaryl axis. The structural elucidation was achieved by spectroscopic and chiroptical methods. Biological activities of these alkaloids against different protozoan parasites are described.
Simulium feuerborni Edwards is geographically widespread in Southeast Asia. Previous cytogenetic study in Thailand revealed that this species is a species complex composed of two cytoforms (A and B). In this study, we cytologically examined specimens obtained from the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, and Puncak, Java, Indonesia. The results revealed two additional cytoforms (C and D) of S. feuerborni. Specimens from Malaysia represent cytoform C, differentiated from other cytoforms by a fixed chromosome inversion on the long arm of chromosome III (IIIL-5). High frequencies of the B chromosome (33-83%) were also observed in this cytoform. Specimens from Indonesia represent the cytoform D. This cytoform is differentiated from others by a fixed chromosome inversion difference on the long arm of chromosome II (IIL-4). Mitochondrial DNA sequences support genetic differentiation among cytoforms A, B, and C. The pairwise F(ST) values among these cytoforms were highly significantly consistent with the divergent lineages of the cytoforms in a median-joining haplotype network. However, a lack of the sympatric populations prevented us from testing the species status of the cytoforms.