1056
Vol. 54, No. 7
Table 2. Pharmacological Activities of Compounds 1—5
drous ether (100 ml) and added to a suspension of lithium aluminium hy-
dride (2.96 g, 77.89 mmol). After stirring for 12 h at room temperature, the
mixture was poured into water and extracted with ether. Removing of the
solvent yielded 9a (6.0 g, 87%). 8b (1.0 g, 94%) and 9b (0.24 g, 29%) were
obtained by the same method using 7b (1.0 g) as starting material.
TNF-a inhibitory activity MDA inhibitory activity
Compounds
IC50 (10ꢁ5 M)
IC50 (10ꢁ6 M)
1
1
2
3
4
5
1.03
1.09
1.10
0.92
2.46
0.10
6.36
Methyl Ferulate 8a: H-NMR (300 MHz in CD3COCD3) d: 8.13 (s, OH),
7.60 (1H, d, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 7.32 (1H, br s), 7.14 (1H, br d, Jꢂ8.1 Hz), 6.87
(1H, d, Jꢂ8.1 Hz), 6.41 (1H, d, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 3.91 (3H, s, OCH3), 3.71 (3H,
s, COOCH3). EI-MS m/z: 208 (Mꢀ).
1
Methyl Sinapate 8b: H-NMR (300 MHz in CD3COCD3) d: 7.54 (1H, d,
Dexamethasonea)
Vitamin Ea)
Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 7.01 (2H, s), 6.44 (1H, d, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 3.88 (6H, s, OCH3), 3.71
1.0
(3H, s, COOCH3). EI-MS m/z: 238 (Mꢀ).
Coniferol Alcohol (9a): 1H-NMR (300 MHz in CD3COCD3) d: 7.60 (s,
OH), 7.04 (1H, d, Jꢂ1.8 Hz), 6.86 (1H, dd, Jꢂ8.4, 1.8 Hz), 6.77 (1H, d,
Jꢂ8.4 Hz), 6.52 (1H, d, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 6.25 (1H, dt, Jꢂ15.9, 5.4 Hz), 4.20
(2H, m), 3.85 (3H, s, OCH3). EI-MS m/z: 180 (Mꢀ).
a) Positive control.
value of 6.36ꢄ10ꢁ6 mol lꢁ1. The results suggested that 1, 2,
3, 4 and 5 has moderate anti-inflammatory activities, and 1
has potent anti-oxidant activity.
Sinapyl Alcohol (9b): 1H-NMR (300 MHz in CD3COCD3) d: 7.28 (s,
OH), 6.72 (2H, br s, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 6.45 (1H, d, Jꢂ15.9 Hz), 6.27 (1H, dt,
Jꢂ15.9, 5.4 Hz), 4.19 (2H, m), 3.82 (6H, s, OCH3). EI-MS m/z: 210 (Mꢀ).
Biomimetic Synthesis of Compounds 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 Silver oxide
(2 g, 8.62 mmol) was added to a solution of 9a (1 g, 5.56 mmol) and 10
(2.3 g, 8.91 mmol) in acetone (50 ml), the mixture was stirred at room tem-
perature for 8 h. After filtration, the filtrate was evaporated to dryness and
the residue was chromatographied on silica gel column eluted with hexane–
acetone (5 : 1—1 : 1) to afford 2 (250 mg), 4 (19.3 mg) and 6 (44.2 mg), to-
gether with the unreacted starting material 10 (100 mg). A solution of 9b
(240 mg, 1.14 mmol) and 10 (300 mg) in acetone (50 ml) was treated in the
same way as described above to afford 1 (4.5 mg), 3 (13.5 mg), 6 (11 mg)
and the unreacted starting material 10 (20 mg). The spectral data of the syn-
thetic compounds 1—4 and 6 were identical to those of natural products in
all respects except for the optical rotation.
Experimental
General Procedures Optical rotations were determined on a Perkin-
Elmer digital polarimeter. UV spectra were taken on a Shimadzu UV-300
spectrophotometer. IR spectra were run on a Perkin-Elmer 683 infrared
spectrometer recorded in KBr pellets. NMR spectra were recorded on a
Bruker AM-500 NMR spectrometer and a Varian Mercury-300 NMR spec-
trometer using TMS as internal standard. EI-MS and HR-EI-MS were ob-
tained using an Autospec-Ulma-Tof mass spectrometer.
Plant Material The lianas of Gnetum cleistostachyum C. Y. CHENG
(Gnetaceae) were collected in Hekou county of Yunnan province, People’s
Republic of China, in October 2001. The plant was identified by Dr. Y. M.
Shui of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China,
where a voucher specimen (No. 39795) was deposited.
Extraction and Isolation The dried and pulverized lianas of Gnetum
cleistostachyum (35 kg) were extracted with 65% EtOH (3ꢄ30 l) under re-
flux. After removing the solvent under vaccum, the residue (3.0 kg) was ex-
tracted with CHCl3 (3ꢄ4 l), EtOAc (3ꢄ4 l), Me2CO (3ꢄ4 l) and MeOH
(3ꢄ4 l) successively. The EtOAc soluble fraction (185 g) was subjected to
silica gel column chromatography (10ꢄ150 cm, 100—200 mesh, 2.5 kg)
eluted with a gradient system of CHCl3–MeOH to provide six fractions A—
F. Fraction E (62.3 g) was further subjected to silica gel column chromatog-
raphy (5ꢄ150 cm 140—180 mesh, 1 kg) eluted with a gradient system of cy-
clohexane–acetone to give fractions E1—E7. Fraction E5 (16 g) was then
further divided into Er1—Er5 by silica gel chromatography [5ꢄ80 cm
140—180 mesh, cyclohexane–acetone (4 : 1—1 : 2)]. Compound 3 (48 mg)
and 4 (30 mg) were obtained from fraction Er3 (800 mg) by silica gel col-
umn chromatography (3ꢄ30 cm 140—180 mesh, 50 g) eluted with
CHCl3–MeOH (25 : 1). Gnetol (80 mg) was obtained from fraction Er4
(0.30 g) by MPLC with MeOH–H2O (3 : 7) as eluent. Er5 (1.6 g) was sub-
jected to a silica gel column chromatography (3ꢄ40 cm, 200—300 mesh,
80 g) eluted with cyclohexane–acetone (3 : 1) to provide compounds 1
(34 mg) and 2 (26 mg). E3 (5.10 g) was subjected to column chromatography
on Rp-18 (35—75 mm, 350 g) eluted with MeOH–H2O system (1 : 1, 4 l) to
afford compound 5 (60 mg). Fraction D (8.0 g) was applied to a silica gel
column chromatography (5ꢄ80 cm, 200—300 mesh, 450 g) using cyclo-
hexane–acetone (4 : 1—1 : 1) as eluent to provide fraction D1—D4. Fraction
D2 (900 mg) was subjected to silica gel column chromatography (3ꢄ30 cm,
200—300 mesh, 50 g) eluted with petrol ether–acetone (3 : 1) to provide
gnetupendin B (16 mg) and 6 (200 mg). The MeOH insoluble fraction of D3
(1.5 g) provided daucosterol (500 mg).
1
Gnetofuran A (2): A pale white amorphous powder. H-NMR (300 MHz
in CD3COCD3) d: 7.10 (1H, d, Jꢂ2.0 Hz), 7.12 (1H, br s), 7.02 (1H, d,
Jꢂ16.5 Hz), 6.94 (1H, d, Jꢂ16.5 Hz), 6.53 (2H, d, Jꢂ2.0 Hz), 6.26 (1H, t,
Jꢂ2.0 Hz), 7.04 (1H, d, Jꢂ2.0 Hz), 6.82 (1H, d, Jꢂ8.0 Hz), 6.89 (1H, dd,
Jꢂ8.0, 2.0 Hz), 5.59 (1H, d, Jꢂ7.0 Hz), 4.16 (1H, t, Jꢂ5.5 Hz), 3.86 (1H, t,
Jꢂ5.5 Hz), 3.56 (1H, q, Jꢂ7.0 Hz), 3.88 (3H, s), 3.82 (3H, s). 13C-NMR
(300 MHz in CD3COCD3) d: 140.7 (C-1a), 111.9 (C-2a), 145.2 (C-3a),
149.3 (C-4a), 130.5 (C-5a), 116.4 (C-6a), 129.5 (C-7a), 127.1 (C-8a), 131.9
(C-9a), 105.5 (C-10a, 14a), 159.5 (C-11a, 13a), 102.6 (C-12a), 134.2 (C-1b),
110.4 (C-2b), 147.2 (C-3b), 148.3 (C-4b), 115.5 (C-5b), 119.5 (C-6b), 88.6
(C-7b), 54.6 (C-8b), 64.5 (C-9b), 56.3 (OCH3), 56.2 (OCH3). IR (KBr)
cmꢁ1: 3300, 2954, 2924, 2852, 1603, 1464, 1377, 1271, 1122, 960. UV lmax
(MeOH) nm (log e): 220 (sh) (4.61), 287 (sh) (4.12), 328 (4.26). EI-MS m/z:
436 (Mꢀ); HR-EI-MS m/z: 436.1501 (Calcd for C25H24O7: 436.1522). [a]D25
0° (cꢂ0.1, MeOH).
1
Gnetifolin F (4): A pale white amorphous powder. mp 144—147 °C; H-
NMR (300 MHz, in CD3COCD3) d: 7.02 (1H, d, Jꢂ1.8 Hz, H-2a), 6.82 (1H,
d, Jꢂ8.1 Hz, H-5a), 6.89 (1H, dd, Jꢂ8.1, 1.8 Hz, H-6a), 4.70 (1H, d,
Jꢂ4.5 Hz, H-7a), 3.75 (1H, dd, Jꢂ8.4, 4.5 Hz, H-8a), 6.26 (1H, d, Jꢂ2.1 Hz,
H-12a), 6.34 (1H, d, Jꢂ2.1 Hz, H-14a), 6.72 (1H, d, Jꢂ2.1 Hz, H-2b), 6.66
(1H, d, Jꢂ8.1 Hz, H-5b), 6.49 (1H, dd, Jꢂ8.1, 2.1 Hz, H-6b), 4.17 (1H, br s,
H-7b), 3.04 (1H, q, Jꢂ8.4 Hz, H-8b), 3.49 (1H, t, Jꢂ8.4 Hz, H-9ba), 4.45
(1H, t, Jꢂ8.4 Hz, H-9bb), 3.73 (3H, s), 3.85 (3H, s). 13C-NMR (300 MHz in
CD3COCD3) d: 135.5 (C-1a), 110.4 (C-2a), 148.3 (C-3a), 146.7 (C-4a),
115.3 (C-5a), 119.6 (C-6a), 88.3 (C-7a), 59.6 (C-8a), 147.9 (C-9a), 122.7
(C-10a), 159.7 (C-11a), 102.5 (C-12a), 155.8 (C-13a), 103.1 (C-14a), 138.0
(C-1b), 111.8 (C-2b), 148.3 (C-3b), 145.5 (C-4b), 115.4 (C-5b), 120.2 (C-
6b), 50.9 (C-7b), 55.8 (C-8b), 74.4 (C-9b), 56.1 (OCH3), 56.0 (OCH3). EI-
MS (m/z): 466 (Mꢀ). [a]2D0 0° (cꢂ0.021, MeOH).
Shegansu B (6): A yellowish amorphous powder. IR (KBr) cmꢁ1: 3302,
1603, 1514, 1462, 1340, 1279, 1155, 1005, 837. UV lmax (EtOH) nm
(log e): 285 (sh) (4.21), 328 (4.48); FAB-MS m/z: 515 (Mꢀ1)ꢀ. [a]2D0 0°
(cꢂ0.048, MeOH). Its 1H-NMR spectral data (300 MHz, in CD3COCD3)
were in agreement with those repored in the literature.6)
Gnetucleistol F (1): A pale white amorphous powder. UV lmax (MeOH)
nm (log e): 235 (sh) (4.29), 310 (sh) (4.24), 327 (4.29). IR (KBr) cmꢁ1
:
3350, 2954, 2924, 2852, 1608, 1518, 1464, 1377, 1213, 1115, 1009, 957,
837. 1H- (300 MHz) and 13C-NMR (75 MHz) see Table 1. [a]2D0 ꢀ4.67°
(c=0.1, MeOH). EI-MS m/z: 466 (Mꢀ). HR-EI-MS m/z: 466.1601 (Calcd for
C26H26O8, 466.1628).
Anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant activity tests were carried out in ac-
cord with the methods discussed in the literature.9,10)
Lehmbachol D (3): A pale white amorphous powder. EI-MS m/z: 466
(46%) (Mꢀ); HR-EI-MS m/z: 466.1610 (Calcd for C26H26O8, 466.1628). Its
spectral data were in agreement with those reported in the literature.2)
Acknowlegements The authors are grateful to Prof. Gui-Fang Cheng
Preparation of Coniferol Alcohol (9a) and Sinapyl Alcohol (9b) 7a and Prof. Geng-Tao Liu for the pharmacological test, and the Department of
(8 g, 41.24 mmol) was dissolved in methanol saturated with hydrochloric Instrumental Analysis of our institute for the measurement of UV, IR, MS,
acid (50 ml) and the solution was kept at room temperature for 48 h. Re- 1H-, 13C-NMR and 2D NMR spectra. The authors would also like to thank
moval of the solvent yielded 8a (8.2 g, 96%), which was dissolved in anhy- Prof. Lian-Niang Li of our institute for the constructive suggestions.