In this work, a new rapid and targeted method for screening α-glucosidase inhibitors from Hypericum beanii was developed and verified. Ten new polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs), hyperlagarol A-J (1-10), and nine known PPAPs (11-19) were obtained from H. beanii. Their structures were identified by using comprehensive analyses involving mass spectrometry, ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron capture dissociation calculations. 1 and 2 are two new rare 2,3-seco-spirocyclic PPAPs, 3 and 4 are two novel 12,13-seco-spirocyclic PPAPs, 5 and 6 are two novel spirocyclic PPAPs, 7 and 8 are two new unusual spirocyclic PPAPs with complex bridged ring systems, and 9 and 10 are two novel nonspirocyclic PPAPs. α-GC inhibitory activities of all isolated compounds were tested. Most of them displayed inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase, with the IC50 values ranging from 6.85 ± 0.65 to 112.5 ± 9.03 μM. Moreover, the inhibitory type and mechanism of the active compounds were further analyzed using kinetic studies and molecular docking.
Keywords: Hypericum beanii; terpenoidal phloroglucinol derivatives; α-glucosidase inhibitor.