Cytotoxic Withanolides from the Whole Herb of Physalis angulata L.

Qinghong Meng,Zhiguo Liu,Yanlin Zhang,Li Li,Xia Liu,Xiwen Li,Erbing Hua,Fangbo Zhang,Jiajia Fan,Yi Sun

doi:10.3390/molecules24081608

Abstract

Physalis angulata L. is a medicinal plant of the Solanaceae family, which is used to produce a variety of steroids. The present study reports on the cytotoxic withanolides of this plant. The species of Physalis angulata L. was identified by DNA barcoding techniques. Two new withanolides (1–2), together with six known analogues (3–8), were isolated from the whole plant of Physalis angulata L. The structures of these new compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The withanolides exhibited strong cytotoxic activities against A549, Hela and p388 cell lines. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 2 induced typical apoptotic cell death in A549 cell line according to the evaluation of the apoptosis-inducing activity by flow cytometric analysis.

Highlights

Physalis angulata L. belongs to the family of Solanaceae, which is frequently used as traditional medicine in China
In our study that focused on the discovery of antitumor agents from study that focused on the discovery of antitumor agents from the genus Physalis, we investigated the the genus Physalis, investigated the Previous medicinalstudies plant of on Previous studies medicinal plant of we this plant demonstrated that on itsthis
The of the 1 H-NMR1 data in conjunction with the HSQC spectrum revealed the presence of two oxygenated analysis of the H-NMR data in conjunction with the HSQC spectrum revealed the presence of two methines, an oxygenated methylene, three olefinic protons, six alphatic methylenes, three alphatic oxygenated methines, an oxygenated methylene, three olefinic protons, six alphatic methylenes, three methines and three singlet methyls (Table 1, Figures S1–S6)

Summary

Introduction

Physalis angulata L. belongs to the family of Solanaceae, which is frequently used as traditional medicine in China. It generally grows in valleys or country roadsides at an altitude of 500–5000 m [1]. The medicinal plants of the genus Physalis are known to produce withanolides, which structurally have an ergostane skeleton [4]. Most withanolides isolated from the genus Physalis belong to the δ-lactone/lactol type, which have different modified skeletons, such as physalins, neophysalins and withaphysalins. These modified withanolides have the characteristic groups of 5β,6β-epoxides, 5-ene withanolides and 6α,7α-epoxides [1]. More than 100 withanolides containing the modified skeletons were isolated from P. alkengi, P. pubescens and P. angulata. [5,6,7]

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion