Ancistrobrevines E-J and related naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids from the West African liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus with inhibitory activities against Plasmodium falciparum and PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells

Shaimaa Fayez, Doris Feineis, Laurent Aké Assi, Marcel Kaiser, Reto Brun, Suresh Awale, Gerhard Bringmann*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

From the roots of the West African liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae), ten new naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids (7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, and 9–14), displaying three different coupling types (5,1′, 5,8′, and 7,8′), were isolated, among them a series of five 5,1′-linked representatives and four metabolites belonging to the rare group of 7,8′-coupled alkaloids. Two of the alkaloids, the ancistrobrevines I (13) and J (14), are only the fourth and fifth examples of 7,8′-linked naphthyldihydroisoquinolines ever found in nature. The stereostructures of the new plant metabolites were determined by spectroscopic, chemical (oxidative degradation), and chiroptical (electronic circular dichroism) methods. For the assignment of the axial configuration of 13 and 14 relative to the stereocenter at C-3, which is too far away for significant NOE long-range interactions, these 7,8′-coupled naphthyldihydroisoquinolines were stereoselectively converted into the respective cis-configured tetrahydroisoquinoline analogs. The newly generated ‘auxiliary’ stereocenter at C-1 permitted decisive NOE interactions between the isoquinoline and the naphthalene parts, and thus a reliable attribution of the axial configuration of 13 and 14. In addition, five known compounds (3, 5, 16, 17, and 20), previously discovered in related African and Asian Ancistrocladus species, have now for the first time been identified in A. abbreviatus. All of these alkaloids are S-configured at C-3 and bear an oxygen function at C-6, and are, thus, typical Ancistrocladaceae-type compounds. Some of the alkaloids of A. abbreviatus exhibited promising activities against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)245-259
Number of pages15
JournalFitoterapia
Volume131
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018/11

Keywords

  • Ancistrobrevines
  • Ancistrocladus abbreviatus,Ancistrocladaceae
  • Anticancer agents
  • Antiplasmodial agents
  • Naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery

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