Bioactive Lignans from Hypoestes aristata

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Products Chemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Hypoestes aristata is a plant species with potential medicinal properties.
• Lignans are a diverse class of phenolic compounds found in plants, known for various biological activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a phytochemical investigation of Hypoestes aristata stem extracts.
• To isolate and characterize lignans from the plant.
• To evaluate the isolated compounds for HIV-1 protease inhibitory activity.

Main Methods:

• Extraction and isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation of isolated lignans using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HRESIMS.
• Determination of absolute configurations using ECD data and Mosher's ester method.

Main Results:

• Nine lignans were isolated, including four known compounds (hinokinin, savinin, medioresinol, cubebins) and seven new compounds (three butyrolactone lignans and three butyrolactol lignans).
• The structures and absolute configurations of the new lignans were unequivocally determined.
• Compounds hinokinin (1) and a new butyrolactone lignan (6) exhibited moderate inhibition of HIV-1 protease.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified and characterized novel lignans from Hypoestes aristata.
• This research provides the first unequivocal assignment of absolute configurations for specific hydroxybutyrolactone lignans.
• The identified lignans, particularly those showing HIV-1 protease inhibition, warrant further investigation for potential therapeutic applications against HIV-1.