A new ß- carboline-type alkaloid from the flowers of Calotropis gigantea ( L.) WTAiton

In our antioxidant screening of some Vietnamese plant extracts, the CHCl3-soluble fraction from Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton flowers showed moderate DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 55.8 mu g/mL. Thus, a further phytochemical study was carried out to obtain five alkaloids, including a new ss-carboline-type alkaloid, caloside H (1). These known compounds were identified as 5-hydroxy-( 2-methoxymethyl)pyridine (2), nicotinic acid (3), p-(acetylamino)phenol (4), and thymine (5). These structures were determined based on the NMR spectroscopic analysis. In antioxidant assay, caloside H at concentration of 100 mu M showed DPPH radical scavenging capacity with a percentage of inhibition of 40.2%. In addition, a plausible biosynthetic pathway for the formation of caloside H was proposed based on the Schiff base formation and Mannich-like reaction.