Two new alkaloids from Narcissus serotinus L

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• The Amaryllidaceae family is a rich source of alkaloids with diverse biological activities.
• Narcissus serotinus L., found along the Mediterranean coast, is a species within this family.
• Understanding the specific alkaloid profile of N. serotinus L. is crucial for potential applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the alkaloid constituents of Narcissus serotinus L. specimens collected near Casablanca, Morocco.
• To isolate and characterize new and known alkaloids from this plant species.
• To correct the previously reported structure of narseronine.

Main Methods:

• Extraction and purification of alkaloids from 350 g of whole plant material.
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound identification.
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for structural elucidation.

Main Results:

• Isolation of five known Amaryllidaceae alkaloids.
• Identification of two new compounds: 1-O-(3´-acetoxybutanoyl)lycorine and narseronine.
• Correction of the previously published erroneous structure of narseronine.

Conclusions:

• Narcissus serotinus L. from Morocco contains a unique profile of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids.
• The study successfully identified novel compounds and corrected existing structural data.
• This research contributes to the chemotaxonomic understanding of Narcissus species and the discovery of potential bioactive natural products.