https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2318-7205
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Abstract
A phytochemical investigation of the liana of Artabotrys thomsonii led to the isolation of a new oxoberberine alkaloid, 2,10-dihydroxy-3,9-dimethoxy-8-oxo-protoberberine (7), along with six known compounds. Their chemical structures were elucidated by 1 D and 2 D NMR spectroscopic methods and HRESI-MSn data analysis. Compounds 4 and 7 were selected for further in vitro investigations. In accordance with expectations from their chemical structures, compounds 7 and 4 showed a clear antioxidant activity in a cell-free assay, with compound 7 being 7-fold more active than 4. Cytotoxicity, cytostatic and genotoxic effects only occurred at high micromolar concentrations of 50 µM or more. Compound 7 was slightly less effective than compound 4. A low micromolar concentration of 10 µM did not cause any damaging cellular effects but showed potential for a protection against the micronucleus-inducing effect of reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, although not to a significant extent.
Graphical Abstract
Acknowledgements
V. W. N. C. thankfully acknowledges the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for a doctoral scholarship for undertaking this research at the Institute of Environmental Research (INFU), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU-Dortmund, Germany. We are grateful to Dr. Wolf Hiller (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU-Dortmund) for the NMR measurements. We appreciate the assistance of Mr. Victor Nana (National Herbarium Cameroon) in the collection and identification of the plant material. Technical assistance by Jana Endres (Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Wuerzburg) in scoring micronucleus slides is greatly appreciated.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
