Alkaloids from Strychnos floribunda

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Strychnos floribunda is a plant species known for its potential medicinal properties.
• The isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from plant sources are crucial for drug discovery.
• Alkaloids and sterols are classes of natural products with diverse pharmacological activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and isolate chemical constituents from the stem bark of Strychnos floribunda.
• To characterize any novel compounds discovered.
• To investigate the chemical diversity of Strychnos floribunda.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of secondary metabolites from Strychnos floribunda stem bark using appropriate solvents.
• Chromatographic techniques (e.g., column chromatography, HPLC) for isolation of individual compounds.
• Spectroscopic methods (e.g., NMR, Mass Spectrometry) for structural elucidation and characterization.

Main Results:

• Isolation of several known alkaloids: bisnordihydrotoxiferine, akagerine, decussine, rouhamine, Strychnocarpine, desacetylisoretuline.
• Identification of a new indole alkaloid, isorosibiline, derived from desacetylisoretuline.
• Isolation of a mixture of sterols: beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol.
• The new alkaloid isorosibiline features an inverted C-16 configuration relative to rosibiline.

Conclusions:

• The stem bark of Strychnos floribunda is a rich source of diverse alkaloids and sterols.
• Isorosibiline represents a novel indole alkaloid with a unique stereochemical feature.
• Further investigation into the biological activities of these isolated compounds is warranted.