Prenylated flavones from Artocarpus altilis

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Artocarpus altilis, a plant species, is known to produce various bioactive compounds.
• Prenylated flavones are a class of natural products with diverse pharmacological properties.
• Exploring the chemical constituents of medicinal plants is crucial for discovering new therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify prenylated flavones from the stem bark extracts of Artocarpus altilis.
• To characterize a newly discovered prenylated flavone and compare it with known compounds.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of compounds from Artocarpus altilis stem bark.
• Purification of isolated compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation using spectroscopic methods, including Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry (MS), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H-NMR), and Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((13)C-NMR).
• Comparison of spectral data with existing literature for known compounds.

Main Results:

• Six prenylated flavones were successfully isolated and identified.
• A new prenylated flavone, hydroxyartocarpin (1), was discovered and characterized.
• Five known prenylated flavones were also identified: artocarpin (2), morusin (3), cycloartobiloxanthone (4), cycloartocarpin A (5), and artoindonesianin V (6).
• The structures were confirmed through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis.

Conclusions:

• The stem bark of Artocarpus altilis is a rich source of prenylated flavones.
• The discovery of hydroxyartocarpin expands the known chemical diversity of this plant species.
• This study contributes to the understanding of the phytochemical profile of Artocarpus altilis and provides a basis for further investigation into the biological activities of these compounds.