Isolation and anticomplement activity of compounds from Dendropanax morbifera

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Immunology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) is a plant traditionally used in Korea for various ailments.
• Its leaves are a source of bioactive compounds with potential medicinal properties.
• The complement system plays a crucial role in innate and adaptive immunity and is implicated in various inflammatory diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize chemical constituents from Dendropanax morbifera leaves.
• To evaluate the in vitro anticomplement activity of the isolated compounds against the classical pathway.

Main Methods:

• Conventional chromatographic techniques were employed for the isolation of compounds from plant extracts.
• The structure of the new polyacetylene was elucidated using comprehensive spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR.
• Chiral determination was performed using the modified Mosher's ester method.
• In vitro anticomplement activity was assessed by measuring the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) against the classical complement pathway.

Main Results:

• A new polyacetylene, (9Z,16S)-16-hydroxy-9,17-octadecadiene-12,14-diynoic acid (compound 1), was isolated along with six known compounds (2-7).
• Compound 1 exhibited significant anticomplement activity with an IC50 value of 56.98 microM.
• Compounds 2-7 did not show significant anticomplement activity in the in vitro assay.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified a novel polyacetylene from Dendropanax morbifera leaves.
• The new compound, (9Z,16S)-16-hydroxy-9,17-octadecadiene-12,14-diynoic acid, demonstrates promising anticomplement activity.
• These findings suggest the potential of Dendropanax morbifera-derived compounds as therapeutic agents for complement-related disorders.