Antioxidant and anticancer aporphine alkaloids from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. cv. Rosa-plena

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 19; no. 11; pp. 17829 - 17838
• Main Authors: Liu, Chi-Ming, Kao, Chiu-Li, Wu, Hui-Ming, Li, Wei-Jen, Huang, Cheng-Tsung, Li, Hsing-Tan, Chen, Chung-Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 03-11-2014; MDPI
• Subjects: 7-hydroxydehydronuciferine; Alkaloids - chemistry; Alkaloids - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; antioxidation; aporphine; Aporphines - chemistry; Aporphines - pharmacology; Cardiovascular disease; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Gastric cancer; Humans; Melanoma; Nelumbo - chemistry; Nelumbo nucifera; Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. cv. Rosa-plena; Oxidation; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Prostate; Rosa - chemistry; China; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules191117829

Fifteen compounds were extracted and purified from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. cv. Rosa-plena. These compounds include liriodenine (1), lysicamine (2), (-)-anonaine (3), (-)-asimilobine (4), (-)-caaverine (5), (-)-N-methylasimilobine (6), (-)-nuciferine (7), (-)-nornuciferine (8), (-)-roemerine (9), 7-hydroxydehydronuciferine (10) cepharadione B (11), β-sitostenone (12), stigmasta-4,22-dien-3-one (13) and two chlorophylls: pheophytin-a (14) and aristophyll-C (15). The anti-oxidation activity of the compounds was examined by antiradical scavenging, metal chelating and ferric reducing power assays. The results have shown that these compounds have antioxidative activity. The study has also examined the antiproliferation activity of the isolated compounds against human melanoma, prostate and gastric cancer cells. The results shown that 7-hydroxydehydronuciferine (10) significantly inhibited the proliferation of melanoma, prostate and gastric cancer cells. Together, these findings suggest that leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. cv. Rosa-plena are a good resource for obtaining the biologically active substances with antioxidant properties.