Abstract
Four new sphingolipids: nudicaulin A [(2S,3S,4R,14E)-2-{[octadecanoyl]amino}tetraeicos-14-ene-1,3,4-triol; 1], nudicaulin B [(2S,3S,4R,14E)-2-{[(2R)-2-hydroxyoctadecanoyl]amino}tetraeicos-14-ene-1,3,4-triol; 2], nudicaulin C [(2S,3S,4R,14E)-2-{[(2R)-2-hydroxyoctadecanoyl]amino}tetraeicos-14-ene-1,3,4-triol-1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside; 3], and nudicaulin D [(2S,3S,4R)-2-{[(2R,3S,12E)-2,3-dihydroxyeicos-12-enoyl]amino}octadecane-1,3,4-triol; 4] together with 1-hexatriacontanol, β-sitosterol, octadecyl 4-hydroxycinnamate, elaidic acid, cholesta-5,22-diene-3,7-diol, oleanolic acid, apigenin, and β-sitosterol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside were isolated from the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Launaea nudicaulis. Their structures were elucidated using 1H and 13C NMR spectra and 2D NMR analyses (HMQC, HMBC, and COSY) in combination with mass spectrometry (EI-MS, HR-EI-MS, FAB-MS, and HR-FAB-MS) experiments and comparison with literature data of related compounds. Compounds 1–4 displayed moderate inhibitory potential against enzyme lipoxygenase in concentration-dependent manner with IC50 value ranges 103–193 μM.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan and Alaxander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation, Germany for financial support. We are also obliged to Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), Italy, for providing some of the basic laboratory facilities in Chemistry Department of IUB.