Bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoids with potential anti-inflammatory and anti-HIV activities from the stems and leaves of Morinda citrifolia

Abstract

The phytochemical study on the stems and leaves of Morinda citrifolia L. resulted in the isolation of a new naturally occurring bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid, morincitrinoid A (1), together with five known analogues (2–6). The chemical structure of 1 was elucidated by comprehensive spectral analyses. The known compounds 2–6 were identified by comparing their spectral data with those reported in the literature, which were isolated from M. citrifolia for the first time. In addition, the anti-inflammatory and anti-HIV activities of compounds 1–6 were evaluated in vitro. Compounds 1–6 displayed significant inhibitory activities on NO (nitric oxide) production induced by lipopolysaccharide in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells with IC50 values ranging from 0.98 ± 0.07 to 6.32 ± 0.11 μM, which was comparable to hydrocortisone. Meanwhile, compounds 1–6 showed remarkable anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) effects with the EC50 values ranging from 0.16 to 6.29 μM.