Alkaloids from the Australian rainforest tree Ochrosia moorei

High-throughput screening of a plant and marine invertebrate extract library to find natural products that down-regulate expression of pro-inflammatory genes associated with the glucocorticoid receptor ligand complex led to the identification of bioactive CH2Cl 2 extracts from stems and leaves of the Queensland tree Ochrosia moorei. Bioassay-guided purification of the stem extract enabled the isolation of four alkaloids including two new compounds, ochrosamines A (1) and B (2), and the known compounds ellipticine (3) and 9-methoxyellipticine (4). The leaf extract also afforded 3 and 4 as well as apparicine (5) and desoxycordifoline (6). The structures of the two new compounds were assigned from interpretation of 2D NMR and high-resolution ESIMS data. Ellipticine and 9-methoxyellipticine were the most active components, and both displayed IC 50 values of 90 microM. Apparicine and desoxycordifoline were only very weakly active, and ochrosamines A and B were inactive.