Withaperuvin O, a new withanolide from Physalis peruviana L

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Physalis peruviana (Solanaceae) is traditionally used for medicinal purposes.
• Withanolides are a class of naturally occurring steroids with diverse bioactivities.
• Investigating the chemical constituents and bioactivities of P. peruviana contributes to discovering new therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize chemical compounds from the whole plants of Physalis peruviana.
• To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds.
• To identify potential natural products for the development of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation of isolated compounds using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and High-Resolution Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS).
• In vitro bioassays including lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells and cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells.

Main Results:

• A new withanolide, withaperuvin O (1), and seven known withanolides (2-8) were isolated and identified.
• Compound 3 exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 3.55 ± 0.12 µM) against LPS-induced NO production.
• Compounds 3 and 4 displayed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 2.01 ± 0.12 µM and 0.96 ± 0.05 µM, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Physalis peruviana is a rich source of bioactive withanolides.
• Withanolide J (3) and physapruin A (4) show promising anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential.
• These compounds warrant further investigation as leads for novel therapeutic agents.