Bioassay screening using Indonesian plants, such as traditional foods (vegetables, spices, and tea) and folk medicinal herbs, identified eight protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B inhibitory and two antibacterial plants. The leaves of Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp. were examined in more detail to define PTP1B inhibitory components, resulting in the isolation of a new active acylbenzene (1) along with four related congeners of 1 (2-5) and four oleanane triterpenes (6-9). The structure of 1 was elucidated as 12-oxo-12-(2,3,5-trihydroxy-4-methylphenyl)dodecanoic acid based on its spectroscopic data. The acylbenzenes 1 and 3-5 inhibited PTP1B activity with IC50 values ranging between 9.5 and 14 µM, whereas the triterpenes 7-9 also suppressed this activity with IC50 values of 3.3-5.7 µM.
Keywords: Syzygium polyanthum; acylbenzene; edible plant; inhibitor; protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B; screening.