Sphaeranthus africanus L. is native in Vietnam. Little is known about α-glucosidase inhibition of Sphaeranthus africanus and its isolated compounds. A bioactive-guided isolation was applied to the Vietnamese Sphaeranthus africanus to find α-glucosidase inhibitory components. Eight compounds were detected and structurally elucidated. They are 3-angeloyloxy-5-[2'',3''-epoxy-2''-methylbutanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone, 3-angeloyloxy-5-[3''-chloro-2''-hydroxy-2''-methylbutanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone, 3-angeloyloxy-5-[2''R,3''R-dihydroxy-2''-methyl-butanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone, 3-angeloyloxy-5-[2''S,3''R-dihydroxy-2''-methylbutanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone, 3-angeloyloxy-5-[2''S,3''S-dihydroxy-2''-methylbutanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone, 5-angeloyloxy-7-hydroxy-3-tigloyloxycarvotacetone, 3-O-methylquercetin, and chrysosplenol D. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR analysis and high-resolution mass spectroscopy as well as comparisons in literature. 3-Angeloyloxy-5-[2''S,3''S-dihydroxy-2''-methylbutanoyloxy]-7-hydroxycarvotacetone is a new compound. Isolated compounds were evaluated for the α-glucosidase inhibition. Isolated compounds showed moderate activity with IC50 values ranging from 128.9-274.3 μM while others are weak. A molecular docking study was conducted, indicating that isolated compounds are potent α-glucosidase inhibitory compounds.
Keywords: Sphaeranthus africanus; carvotacetone; electronic circular dichroism; molecular docking; α-glucosidase inhibition.
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