Artapilosines A and B, Unusual Phenanthrene Derivatives Related to Aporphine Alkaloids from Artabotrys pilosus

J Nat Prod. 2021 Dec 24;84(12):3117-3121. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00896. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Abstract

Two unusual phenanthrene derivatives related to aporphine alkaloids, artapilosines A (1) and B (2), as well as two biogenetically related known aporphine alkaloids, (-)-anonaine (3) and (-)-N-acetylanonaine (4), were separated and purified from Artabotrys pilosus. Artapilosine A (1) is the first compound representative of a new class of phenanthrene derivatives having an unprecedented carbon skeleton, in which the six-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic structure in a typical aporphine alkaloid was substituted with a unique five-membered carbocyclic ring. This is the first report of the formation of a carbon-carbon bond between C-5 and C-6a in 1 with the loss of the nitrogen atom N-6 in the classic aporphine alkaloid. Artapilosine B (2) is a novel phenanthrene derivative having a hydroxyethyl as a substituent on the phenanthrene ring. Their chemical structures as well as absolute configurations were determined based on analysis of spectroscopic data. Additionally, the potential anti-HIV activities of all isolates 1-4 were appraised. Artapilosines A (1) and B (2) showed notable anti-HIV reverse transcriptase affects, with EC50 values of 20.93 and 125.29 nM, respectively. These results suggested that the discovery of these novel phenanthrene derivatives from A. pilosus with remarkable anti-HIV effects could be essentially important for the researching and developing of new anti-HIV agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Annonaceae / chemistry*
  • Anti-HIV Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-HIV Agents / isolation & purification
  • Anti-HIV Agents / pharmacology
  • Aporphines / chemistry
  • Aporphines / isolation & purification*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Phenanthrenes / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents
  • Aporphines
  • Phenanthrenes
  • aporphine
  • phenanthrene