A new flavonoid from Sophora flavescens Ait

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Phytochemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Sophora flavescens is a medicinal plant with a rich history of traditional use.
• The chemical constituents of Sophora flavescens are known to possess diverse biological activities.
• Further investigation is needed to fully characterize its phytochemical profile.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify chemical constituents from the roots of Sophora flavescens.
• To report the discovery of a new flavonoid and known compounds.
• To contribute to the understanding of Sophora flavescens phytochemistry.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
• High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (HMBC), and Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy were employed.

Main Results:

• A new flavonoid, 8-(3-hydroxymethyl-2-butenyl)-5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxyflavanone, was identified.
• Seven known compounds were isolated: (2R)-3α,7,4'-Trihydroxy -5-methoxy-8-prenylflavanone, (2R)-3β,7,4'- Trihydroxy-5-methoxy-8-prenylflavanone, 3,7-dihydroxycoumarin, Shandougenines B, Specionin, Kushenol N, and Kushenol I.
• Compounds 4 and 6 were reported from Sophora flavescens for the first time, and Compound 5 was isolated from a Leguminous plant for the first time.

Conclusions:

• The phytochemical investigation of Sophora flavescens roots yielded a new flavonoid and several known compounds.
• The structural characterization was confirmed through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses.
• This study expands the known chemical diversity of Sophora flavescens and provides valuable data for further research.