Anti-inflammatory Withanolides from Physalis minima

Area of Science:

• Natural Products Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Physalis minima Linn. is a plant source of bioactive compounds.
• Withanolides are a class of steroidal lactones with diverse biological activities.
• Understanding the chemical constituents and bioactivity of P. minima contributes to drug discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize new withanolides from Physalis minima.
• To evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of isolated compounds.
• To investigate the inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation utilizing spectroscopic methods (IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR).
• In vitro anti-inflammatory assay using lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells to measure nitric oxide production.

Main Results:

• Five new withanolides (1-5) and five known withanolides (6-10) were successfully isolated.
• The chemical structures of the new compounds were determined through comprehensive spectral analysis.
• All ten compounds exhibited moderate inhibition of nitric oxide production, with IC50 values ranging from 23.53 to 66.28 μM.

Conclusions:

• Physalis minima is a rich source of structurally diverse withanolides.
• The isolated withanolides possess anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting nitric oxide production.
• These findings suggest potential therapeutic applications for P. minima-derived compounds.