Cassane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima and their antibacterial and anti-glioblastoma activity

Abstract

Sixteen cassane diterpenoids (CAs), including four undescribed lactam-type, four unreported lactone-type, along with eight known ones, were isolated from the aerial parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. Their structures were characterized by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (including NMR and HRESIMS). The absolute configuration of pulcherritam A was finally established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction with Cu Kα radiation. Notably, pulcherritam s A-D were elucidated as a group of rare CAs bearing an α, β-unsaturated γ-lactam ring rather than a typical lactone moiety. Almost all compounds were examined for their antibacterial. The results reveal that pulcherritam H exhibited significant antibacterial activities against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidae (Psa) with the MIC from 6.25 to 12.5 μM, while pulcherritams A and C displayed potent antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Then, all isolates were evaluated for their anti-glioblastoma activities. Pulcherritam A and Pulcherrimin G illustrated moderate inhibitory activity against glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) U87MG cell, and the other compounds did not show obvious inhibitory activity against GBM U87MG cell. Furthermore, the preliminary structure-activity relationship and their biosynthetic pathway were also discussed.

Keywords: Anti-glioblastoma activity; Antibacterial activity; Caesalpinia pulcherrima; Cassane diterpenoids; Fabaceae.