Antidepressant alkaloids from the rhizomes of Corydalis decumbens

Abstract Two new alkaloids ( 1 and 2 ), named 1,7-dimethoxy-2′-prenyl-1′,9-dihydropyrrolo-carbazole ( 1 ) and 1,7-dimethoxy-4′,5′-dimethylcyclopenta-carbazole-1′,3′-dione ( 2 ), along with thirteen known alkaloids ( 3 – 15 ) were isolated by means of silica gel, sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative HPLC from the CHCl 3 extraction of Corydalis decumbens for the first time. Their structures were determined by NMR, MS, IR, UV, and related references. Compounds ( 1 – 15 ) were evaluated for their antidepressant activities by measuring inhibition of monoamine neurotransmitter reuptake in vitro . Among them, compounds 1 , 2 , 4 , and 6 showed certain antidepressant activities.