Antimalarial benzylisoquinoline alkaloid from the rainforest tree Doryphora sassafras

J Nat Prod. 2009 Aug;72(8):1541-3. doi: 10.1021/np9002564.

Abstract

Mass-directed isolation of the CH(2)Cl(2)/MeOH extract of Doryphora sassafras resulted in the purification of a new benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, 1-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-6,7-methylenedioxy-2-methylisoquinolinium trifluoroacetate (1), and the known aporphine alkaloid (S)-isocorydine (2). The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data analyses. The compounds were isolated during a drug discovery program aimed at identifying new antimalarial leads from a prefractionated natural product library. When tested against two different strains of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 and Dd2), 1 displayed IC(50) values of 3.0 and 4.4 microM, respectively. Compound 1 was tested for cytotoxicity toward a human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293) and displayed no activity at 120 microM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkaloids / chemistry
  • Alkaloids / isolation & purification*
  • Alkaloids / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / chemistry
  • Antimalarials / isolation & purification*
  • Antimalarials / pharmacology*
  • Australia
  • Benzylisoquinolines / chemistry
  • Benzylisoquinolines / isolation & purification*
  • Benzylisoquinolines / pharmacology*
  • Ecosystem
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Parasitic Sensitivity Tests
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects*

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • Antimalarials
  • Benzylisoquinolines