Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Diarylheptanoids with inhibitory effects on melanogenesis
from the rhizomes of Curcuma comosa in B16 melanoma cells
Takahiro Matsumoto, Seikou Nakamura, Souichi Nakashima, Masayuki Yoshikawa, Katsuyoshi Fujimoto,
⇑
Tomoe Ohta, Azumi Morita, Rie Yasui, Eri Kashiwazaki, Hisashi Matsuda
Department of Pharmacognosy, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Misasagi, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8412, Japan
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history:
The methanolic extract from the dried rhizomes of Curcuma comosa cultivated in Thailand was found to
inhibit melanogenesis in theophylline-stimulated murine B16 melanoma 4A5 cells. From the methanolic
extract, three new diarylheptanoids, diarylcomosols I–III, were isolated together with 12 known diaryl-
heptanoids. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evi-
dence. The diarylheptanoids inhibited melanogenesis, and several structural requirements of the active
constituents for the inhibition were clarified. In particular, (3R)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-(6E)-6-hep-
Received 16 April 2013
Revised 5 July 2013
Accepted 9 July 2013
Available online 17 July 2013
Keywords:
Curcuma comosa
Diarylcomosol
Diarylheptanoid
Melanogenesis inhibitor
Thai traditional medicine
ten-3-ol exhibited stronger inhibitory effect [IC50 = 0.36
lM] without inducing cytotoxicity. The biologi-
cal effect was much stronger than that of a reference compound, arbutin [IC50 = 174
lM]. We conclude
that diarylheptanoid analogs are promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of skin disorders.
Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Zingiberaceae plant, Curcuma comosa, is widely distributed in
tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, especially Thailand, Indo-
nesia, and Malaysia. The rhizome of C. comosa has been used as
an aromatic stomachic and anti-inflammatory.1,2 We previously re-
ported the isolation and structure elucidation of monoterpenes and
sesquiterpenes from the air-dried rhizomes of C. comosa cultivated
in Thailand.3–5 On the other hand, we have interested in identifying
inhibitors of melanin production derived from natural medicines.6–
13 In the present study, we found that a methanolic (MeOH) extract
from the thermally-dried rhizomes of C. comosa showed inhibitory
effects on melanogenesis. From the MeOH extract, we have isolated
three new diarylheptanoids, diarylcomosols I (1), II (3), and III (6),
together with 12 known diarylheptanoids. (Fig. 1). In this Letter,
we describe the isolation and structural elucidation of 1, 3, and 6
as well as the inhibitory effects of diarylheptanoids on melanogen-
esis in theophylline-stimulated B16 melanoma 4A5 cells.
A MeOH extract of the thermally-dried rhizomes of C. comosa
showed melanogenesis inhibitory activity [inhibition (%): 27.7 6.3 (P
<0.01) at 3 lg/mL]. The MeOH extract was partitioned into an EtOAc–
H2O (1:1, v/v) mixture to furnish an EtOAc-soluble fraction (7.9%) and
an aqueous layer. The aqueous layer was further extracted with 1-buta-
nol to give 1-butanol- (2.8%) and H2O- (15.3%) soluble fractions. The
EtOAc-soluble fraction was found to have significant inhibitory effects
to normal- and reversed-phase silica-gel column chromatography and
repeated HPLC to give three new diarylheptanoids, diarylcomosols I
(1, 0.0033%), II (3, 0.0007%), and III (6, 0.012%), and 12 known diarylhep-
tanoids,
0.01575%),14 (3R)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-(6E)-6-hepten-3-ol (4,
0.0002%),15
(E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-hepten-3-one (5,
0.0033%),15(3R0,5S0)-3,5-dihydroxy-1-(40-hydroxy-30,50-dimethoxy-
1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)hepta-4E,6E-dien-3-one
(2,
phenyl)-7-(400-hydroxy-30-methoxyphenyl)heptane (7, 0.0067%),16
(3R0,5S0)-3,5-dihydroxy-1-(30,40-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(400-hydroxy-
phenyl)heptane (8, 0.0006%),17 (+)-hannokinol (9, 0.011%),18 (3R,5R)-
3,5-diacetoxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)heptane
(10, 0.017%),17 (3R,5R)-3-acetoxy-5-hydroxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-
7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)heptane (11, 0.049%),17 (3R,5R)-3-acetoxy-5-hy-
droxy-1,7-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)heptane (12, 0.0027%),17 (3R,5R)-
dihydroxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)heptane (13,
0.0004%),17 platyphyllone (14, 0.0088%),19 and (5R)-5-hydroxy-1-(4-
hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanone (15,
0.0039%).20 In this case, monoterpenes 16–194 including comosoxides
A (16)4,21 and B (17),4,21 which were isolated from the air-dried and
clumpy rhizomes of C. comosa, were not detected in the thermally-dried
and sliced rhizomes of C. comosa.
Diarylcomosol I (1) was isolated as a pale yellow powder. The IR
spectrum of 1 suggested the presence of hydroxy (3350 cmꢀ1), car-
bonyl (1708 cmꢀ1), and aromatic ring (1603, 1510 cmꢀ1). In the EI-
MS of 1, a molecular ion peak [M]+ was observed at m/z 310 and
the molecular formula C19H18O4 was determined by HRMS mea-
surement of the molecular ion peak. The 1H NMR (methanol-d4)
and 13C NMR (Table 1) spectra of 1, which were assigned by various
on melanogenesis [inhibition (%): 51.9 2.8 (P <0.01) at 3 lg/mL]. The
EtOAc-soluble fraction, a predominant bioactive portion, was subjected
⇑
Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 75 595 4634; fax: +81 75 595 4768.
0960-894X/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.