A new dihydrofuranocoumarin fromOpopanax hispidus(Friv.) Griseb

Coumarins from Sarcandra glabra (Thunb.) Nakai and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibiting Activity

Nine coumarins including a pair of new enantiomers ( 1a / 1b ) and seven known compounds ( 2-8 ) were isolated from Sarcandra glabra (Thunb.) Nakai. Among them, compounds 1a and 1b were naturally occurring coumarin-phenylpropanoid conjugate enantiomers. Their structures were identified by NMR and ECD calculations. Compounds 1-8 were tested for acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibiting activity. The results of the enzymology experiment showed that compound 3 demonstrated obvious AchE inhibitory activity which showed an IC 50 value of 1.982 ± 0.003 μ M, and the binding sites were predicted by molecular docking.

Phytochemistry, Traditional Uses and Pharmacological Properties of the Genus Opopanax W. D. J. Koch: A Mini-Review

The genus Opopanax W.D.J. Koch is a member of the Apiaceae family, distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and comprises only three recognized and well-defined species, O. chironium (L.) W.D.J. Koch, O. hispidus (Friv.) Griseb. and O. persicus Boiss. The species of this genus with yellow flowers are well-known in traditional medicine and consumed as food. This review critically appraises published literature on the phytochemistry, traditional usages, and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax. In addition, it provides evidence to suggest that the plants from this genus have potential phytotherapeutic applications. Previous phytochemical and bioactivity studies revealed that the genus Opopanax predominantly produces coumarins, diterpenes, phenolics, and phthalides, and possesses various biological and pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The phytochemical profile and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax could be useful for further study and might find additional medicinal applications in evidence-based phytotherapy

Isolation and Antimicrobial Activity of Coumarin Derivatives from Fruits of Peucedanum luxurians Tamamsch

As a continuation of searching for phytoconstituents that act as promising agents for antimicrobial therapy, rare coumarins were isolated from fruits of Peucedanum luxurians and tested. In a first step, the content of major compounds in the aerial parts and fruits of P. luxurians were compared. The results clearly showed that the fruits with dichloromethane as a solvent yielded, in most cases, higher concentrations of almost all the analyzed coumarins than the aerial parts, with peucedanin detected as the most abundant compound with a concentration of 4563.94 ± 3.35 mg/100 g. Under this perspective, the dichloromethane extract from the fruits of P. luxurians was further submitted to high performance countercurrent chromatography with a mixture of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water 6:5:6:5 (v/v). Combination of HPCCC and prep-HPLC yielded 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (1), officinalin (2), stenocarpin isobutyrate (3), officinalin isobutyrate (4), 8-methoxypeucedanin (5), and peucedanin (6). Isolated compounds were tested against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains. 6',7'-Dihydroxybergamottin, peucedanin, and officinalin isobutyrate appeared to be the most active against all tested bacteria strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 1.20 and 4.80 mg/mL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about countercurrent isolation of mentioned coumarins, as well as the first information about their antimicrobial activity.

Progress in the Chemistry of Naturally Occurring Coumarins

Coumarins are the largest group of 1-benzopyran derivatives found in plants. The initial member of this group of compounds, coumarin (2H-1-benzopyran-2-one), a fragrant colorless compound, was first isolated from the Tonka bean (Dipteryx odorata, family Fabaceae) in 1820. The name coumarin comes from a French term for the tonka bean, coumarou. Since the discovery of coumarin, several of its derivatives, with umbelliferone (7-hydroxycoumarin) being the most common one, have been reported from various natural sources. The families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Rutaceae are the three major plant sources of coumarins.Generally, these plant secondary metabolites may be classified into simple, simple prenylated, simple geranylated, furano, pyrano, sesquiterpenyl and oligomeric coumarins. Using this standard classification, this chapter aims to present an account on the advances of the chemistry of naturally occurring coumarins, as reported in the literature during the period 2013-2015.In Sect. 1, the coumarins are introduced and their generic biosynthetic route discussed briefly. In Sect. 2, the largest of the three sections, various classes of natural coumarins are detailed, with their relevant structures and the citation of appropriate references. In a concluding section, it is highlighted that during the last 3 years, more than 400 coumarins have been reported in the literature. Many of these coumarins have been re-isolations of known compounds from known or new sources, most often associated with various biological activities. However, a substantial number of coumarins bearing new skeletons, especially dimers, prenylated furanocoumarins, sesquiterpenyl, and some unusual coumarins were also reported during the period of 2013-2015.Coumarin chemistry remains one of the major interest areas of phytochemists, especially because of their structural diversity and medicinal properties, along with the wide-ranging bioactivities of these compounds, inclusive of analgesic, anticoagulant anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antineoplastic, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. Despite significant advancements in the extraction, isolation, structure elucidation and bioactivity testing of naturally occurring coumarins, only a marginal advancement has been observed recently in relation to the study of their biosynthesis.