Abstract
Phytochemical investigation of the shells of Metaplexis japonica (Thunb.) Makino, belonging to the family of Apocynaceae, afforded three new pregnane steroids, metajapogenins A–C, along with three known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 12β,14β,17β-trihydroxypregna-3,5-dien-7,20-dione, 12β,14β,17β,20β-tetrahydroxypregna-3,5-dien-7-one; 3β,12β,14β,17β-tetrahydroxypregn-5-ene-7,20-dione on the basis of extensive spectroscopic evidence derived from 1D; 2D-NMR experiments and mass spectrometry. The known compounds included pergularin; 12-O-acetylpergularin; and pergularin-3-O-β-d-oleandropyranose; which were identified for the first time in the shells of M. japonica.
Highlights
The genus Metaplexis (Apocynaceae family) consists of six species which are distributed throughout eastern Asia [1]
Previous studies revealed that the major secondary metabolites present in the roots and aerial parts of
The shells of Metaplexis japonica (Thunb.) Makino were collected from Changbai Mountain, Jilin
Summary
The genus Metaplexis (Apocynaceae family) consists of six species which are distributed throughout eastern Asia [1]. Metaplexis japonica (Thunb.) Makino is a climbing perennial herb with a comprehensive distribution in China, Japan, Korea, and adjacent Russia, and has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine in China. M. japonica are pregnane steroids and flavonol glycosides [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. As part of our ongoing efforts to discover bioactive metabolites from the herbs of the Apocynaceae family [16,17,18], three new pregnane steroids, metajapogenins A–C, together with three known compounds, pergularin, 12-O-acetylpergularin, and pergularin-3-O-β-D-oleandropyranose, were isolated and identified from the shells of M. japonica.
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