Rotenoids, Flavonoids, and Chalcones from the Root Bark of Millettia usaramensis

J Nat Prod. 2015 Dec 24;78(12):2932-9. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00581. Epub 2015 Dec 14.

Abstract

Five new compounds, 4-O-geranylisoliquiritigenin (1), 12-dihydrousararotenoid B (2), 12-dihydrousararotenoid C (3), 4'-O-geranyl-7-hydroxyflavanone (4), and 4'-O-geranyl-7-hydroxydihydroflavanol (5), along with 12 known natural products (6-17) were isolated from the CH2Cl2/MeOH (1:1) extract of the root bark of Millettia usaramensis ssp. usaramensis by chromatographic separation. The purified metabolites were identified by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses, whereas their absolute configurations were established on the basis of chiroptical data and in some cases also by X-ray crystallography. The crude extract was moderately active (IC50 = 11.63 μg/mL) against the ER-negative MDB-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line, and accordingly compounds 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 16 also showed moderate to low cytotoxic activities (IC50 25.7-207.2 μM). The new natural product 1 exhibited antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 3.7 and 5.3 μM against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 and the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 Plasmodium falciparum strains, respectively, and was also cytotoxic to the HEK293 cell line.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antimalarials / chemistry
  • Antimalarials / isolation & purification*
  • Antimalarials / pharmacology
  • Chalcones / chemistry
  • Chalcones / isolation & purification*
  • Chalcones / pharmacology
  • Chloroquine / pharmacology
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Flavanones
  • Flavonoids / chemistry
  • Flavonoids / isolation & purification*
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Millettia / chemistry*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Plant Bark / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Chalcones
  • Flavanones
  • Flavonoids
  • Plant Extracts
  • 7-hydroxyflavanone
  • Chloroquine