Estudo Químico e Biológico de Margaritopsis carrascoana Wright (Rubiaceae)

Abstract

Margaritopsis carrascoana is a small shrub belonging to the Rubiaceae family and endemic from northeastern of Brazil flora growing in the sandy soils of the region of Ibiapaba and Araripe plateaus – Ceará state. The absence of reports of phytochemical studies related to this species, combined with occurrence of bioactive alkaloids in the genus, motivated us to perform chemical study. The plant specimen was collected in Araripe plateu, in Moreilândia-PE county. The phytochemical investigation of the ethanolic extract from the stems yielded the alkaloids calycosidine, hodgkinsine, N-8”-formyl-calycosidine and N-8”-methyl-N-1’-desmethylisocalycosidine, besides neolignan dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, the flavonol luteolin 7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl, the triterpenes lupeol and ursolic acid, and the mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol steroids, as aglycones and glycosylated. From the ethanolic extract of the leaves were isolated the flavonoid luteolin 7-O-[β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside, chrysoeriol 7-O-[β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside, luteolin 7-O-{β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl} and luteolin 7-O-{α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl}. The alkaloids N-8"-formyl-calycosidine, N-8”-methyl-N-1’-desmethylisocalycosidine, luteolin 7-O-{β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl} and luteolin 7-O-{α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyra-nosyl}, are being reported for the first time in the literature, and the other secondary metabolites are unprecedented in the genus Margaritopsis. The secondary metabolites were isolated using classical chromatography techniques; including adsorption chromatography on silica gel, exclusion chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, reverse phase chromatography (C-18), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For structural characterization were used infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques including uni (1H NMR and 13C NMR and DEPT 135) and two-dimensional experiments (HMBC, HSQC, COSY and NOESY), and comparison with the literature data. In addition, the flavonoids flavonol luteolin 7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl, luteolin 7-O-[β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside, luteolin 7-O-{β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl} and luteolin 7-O-{α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-[β-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl, sho-wed antioxidant activity greater than the BHT and quercetin standards, while ethanol extracts of stems and leaves showed inhibitory activity on the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. On the other hand, hodgkinsine showed potent cytotoxic activity against ovary, glioblastoma and colon cancer cells lines. The ethanol extract of the leaves and its alkaloidal fraction were submitted to nociception test and yielded good results. The ethanolic extract of the leaves was subjected to gastric antiulcer activity test, leading to a significant reduction in gastric lesions induced by ethanol in mice.