Chemical constituents from Aglaia odorata Lour

Update on Phytochemical and Biological Studies on Rocaglate Derivatives from Aglaia Species

With about 120 species, Aglaia is one of the largest genera of the plant family Meliaceae (the mahogany plants). It is native to the tropical rainforests of the Indo-Australian region, ranging from India and Sri Lanka eastward to Polynesia and Micronesia. Various Aglaia species have been investigated since the 1960s for their phytochemical constituents and biological properties, with the cyclopenta[b]benzofurans (rocaglates or flavaglines) being of particular interest. Phytochemists, medicinal chemists, and biologists have conducted extensive research in establishing these secondary metabolites as potential lead compounds with antineoplastic and antiviral effects, among others. The varied biological properties of rocaglates can be attributed to their unusual structures and their ability to act as inhibitors of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), affecting protein translation. The present review provides an update on the recently reported phytochemical constituents of Aglaia species, focusing on rocaglate derivatives. Furthermore, laboratory work performed on investigating the biological activities of these chemical constituents is also covered.

Advances in the chemistry and pharmacological potential of coumarinolignans

Coumarinolignans (CLs) are a group of non-conventional lignans having coumarins and phenyl propanes as two C₆C₃ units linked commonly through a dioxane bridge. The research findings during Jan 2008-May 2018 on this group of secondary metabolites describing their occurrence, structural characteristics, large-scale preparation, synthesis, derivatives, pharmacological activities, and structure-activity relationship are presented in this review. Around 38 CLs have been isolated from 40 plant species belonging to 20 different families during the review period. Reports on the syntheses of CL derivatives are also discussed. The majority of the reported CLs have shown potential anti-inflammatory activities, especially against pro-inflammatory cytokines. The other pharmacological effects exhibited by CLs such as hepatoprotective, anticancer, etc., are also covered in this review comprehending the lacunae in their development into drugs. This article is a continuation of our earlier work on coumarinolignans (Begum SA, Sahai M, Ray AB (2010) Non-conventional lignans: coumarinolignans, flavonolignans, and stilbenolignans. In: Kinghorn AD, Falk H, Kobayashi J (eds) Progress in the chemistry of organic natural products, Springer, Verlag/Wien, p 1-70).

An Isoflavone from Leiophyllum buxifolium and Its Antiproliferative Effect

A new C-methylisoflavone, isosideroxylin (1), and a known C-methylflavone, sideroxylin (2), were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the leaves of Leiophyllum buxifolium. The two compounds were evaluated with the sulforhodamine B assay for their antiproliferative effects against ER(-) MDA-MB-231 and ER(+) MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and the NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line. Isosideroxylin (1) displayed a selective antiproliferative effect against MDA-MB-231 cells.

Triterpenoids from Aglaia odorata var. microphyllina

Five new apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (1-5), named agladorals A-E, and 28 known compounds (20 triterpenoids and 8 rocaglamides) were isolated from the twigs of Aglaia odorata var. microphyllina. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis.