Abstract
Phyllanthus orbicularis (Phyllanthaceae) is an endemic evergreen tropical plant of Cuba that grows in the western part of the island and is used in traditional medicine as an infusion. The aqueous extract of this plant presents a wide range of pharmacological activitiessuch as antimutagenic, antioxidant and antiviral effects. Given the many beneficial effects and the great interest in the development of new pharmacological products from natural sources, the aim of this work was to investigate the phytochemistry of this species and to elucidate the structure of the main bioactive principles. Besides the presence of several known polyphenols, the major constituent was hitherto not described. The chemical structure of this compound, here named Fideloside, was elucidated by means of HR-ESIMS/MSn, 1D/2D NMR, FT-IR, and ECD as (2R,3R)-(−)-3’,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxydihydroflavonol-8-C-β-D-glucopyranoside. The compound, as well as the plant aqueous preparations, showed promising bioactive properties, i.e., anti-inflammatory capacity in human explanted monocytes, corroborating future pharmacological use for this new natural C-glycosyl flavanonol.
Highlights
Natural products represent a very important traditionalsource of novel drugs
From the beginning of the chromatographic run to 3.5 min there is the elution of hydrophilic phenolic acids, the central part of the chromatogram is characterized by the presence of catechins and procyanidins, and from 4.8 min to the end of the gradient the last eluting molecules of these extracts are represented by more complex flavonoids
In accordance with previously reported data, our results reveal the presence of catechin, procyanidin B2, epicatechin and rutoside in P. orbicularis
Summary
Natural products represent a very important traditionalsource of novel drugs. They are a relevant inspiration for the synthesis of novel molecules of pharmaceutical interest. Among the plethora of potential pharmaceutical and nutritional plant-derived molecules, phenolics represent a dominant group of compounds with crucialnatural antioxidantsand flavors [1,2,3,4]. With 7500 species of flowering plants, of which 50% are endemic, Cuba hosts more than half of all Caribbean flora [5], that is the reason why the use of “green” medicine to prevent or treat different illnesses is deeply rooted in Cuban popular traditions. About 1250 species in180 families from Cuba are used as medicinal plants, in which the Euphorbiaceae family is one of the most broadly represented [6,7].
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