Undescribed isoquinolines from Zanthoxylum nitidum and their antiproliferative effects against human cancer cell lines

Abstract

Eleven previously undescribed alkaloids, including three pairs of enantiomers nitidumalkaloids A–C, a pair of scalemic mixtures nitidumalkaloid D and three optically pure or achiral alkaloids, nitidumalkaloids E–G, along with 20 known alkaloids, were isolated from an ethanolic extract of the whole Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC plant. The chemical structures of the alkaloids were elucidated using a combination of comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electro-spray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) analyses. The configuration of the stereogenic centers of all undescribed compounds was precisely established based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Racemic mixtures of nitidumalkaloids A–D were purified, and their enantiomers were analyzed via chiral-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection measurements (HPLC-ECD). Twelve compounds exhibited significant antiproliferative activities against a panel of cancer cell lines. Further studies were designed to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of (1′S, 6R)-nitidumalkaloid B, which was the most active antiproliferative agent against human cancer A549 cells. G2/M cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, and suppression of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were in part associated with the antiproliferative activity of (1′S, 6R)-nitidumalkaloid B. Moreover, (1′S, 6R)-nitidumalkaloid B inhibited cell migration by downregulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in A549 cells. These data suggest that the antiproliferation activity of (1′S, 6R)-nitidumalkaloid B was correlated with the stereoselectivity of the stereoisomers, and (1′S, 6R)-nitidumalkaloid B was prioritized as a potential leading compound for the management of aggressive human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from natural products.