Triterpenoids with antiplatelet aggregation activity from Ilex rotunda

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Ilex rotunda Thunb. is a plant source of bioactive compounds.
• Triterpenoids are a diverse class of natural products with various biological activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize novel triterpenoids from Ilex rotunda barks.
• To evaluate the antiplatelet aggregation activity of the isolated compounds.

Main Methods:

• Phytochemical isolation using spectroscopic analysis (NMR, MS).
• Structural elucidation of new compounds.
• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography (GC) for sugar moiety identification.
• In vitro antiplatelet aggregation assay using adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced rat platelets.

Main Results:

• Seven new triterpenoids, rotundinosides E-K, were isolated along with sixteen known compounds.
• Rotundinoside F exhibited a rare triterpene-phenylpropanoid hybrid structure.
• Rotundinoside H possessed an unusual triterpene saponin structure with an α-linked glucopyranosyl moiety.
• Five compounds demonstrated moderate inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation, with IC50 values between 22.4–32.8 μM.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified novel triterpenoids from Ilex rotunda.
• Some isolated compounds, particularly rotundinoside F and H, possess unique structural features.
• The identified compounds show potential as antiplatelet agents, warranting further investigation.