Aporphine alkaloids from branches and leaves of Polyalthia nemoralis

Objective To investigate the aporphine alkaloids in the branches and leaves of Polyalthia nemoralis. Method The compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data. Result Five aporphine alkaloids were isolated and identified as: bidebiline A (1), annobraine (2), lanuginosine (3), liriodenine (4), oxostephanosine (5), respectively. Conclusion For the first time, Compounds 2 and 5 were obtained from Polyalthia while 1, 3 and 4 isolated from this plant. The bioassays in vitro against five human tumor cell lines with MTT method showed moderate cytotoxic activities (IC50 1 mg x L(-1)) of compounds 3-5.