Study Of Pharmacologically Active Constituents With Neurotrophic Factor Potentiating Activity From Two Natural Medicinal Plants

In our research, we use PC12D cells, a subline of a rat pheochromocytoma cells and also an in vitro model of neuronal differentiation, to search for the compounds with NGF action or NGF-potentiating activity. We found that the methanol extracts of the medicinal plants Verbena officinalis L. and Elinorus latiflorus Nees have NGF-potentiating activity. In order to find out the substances with these pharmacologic activities and search for new compounds with neurotrophic activity we have studied the chemical constituents of these plants. These compounds would be used as leading compounds to develop a new type of medicine aimed at medical treatment for the serious neurologival disorders such as AD.Verbena officinalis L. is a plant widely distributed in China, which belongs to Verbenaceae family. The aerial parts of Verbena officinalis L. can be used for the traditional Chinese medicine in China. The 95% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Verbena officinalis L. was partitioned with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. From the petroleum ether and n-butanol phase of the extracts, 8 compounds have been isolated by solvent extraction, repeated silica gel column chromatographies and recrystallization methods. On the basis of the physical-chemical properties and spectroscopic analysis we have identified 6 compounds' structures. They are stigmast-5-en-3-ol (1), oleanolic acid (2), ursolic acid (3), 4'-Hydroxywogonin (4), 3,4-dihydro-verbenaloside (5) and verbenaloside (6), respectively.Elinorus latiflorus Nees, a member of the Gramineae family, is commonly cultivated in South America. The aerial part of this plant is traditionally used as diuretic and depurative agents. The methanol extracts of the aerial parts of Elinorus latiflorus Nees was partitioned with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-BuOH. From the n-BuOH phase of the extracts, 5 compounds have been isolated. On the basis of physical-chemical properties and spectroscopic analysis , these compounds were identified as 3-hydroxymethyl-1,5,8-trihydroxynaphthalene-8-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), 1(S),2(R), 3(S)-2-carboxylate-7-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxy-1-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl) -1,2,3,4-tetrabydronaphthalene (8), 7(S),8(R),8'(S)-retrodendrin (9), 8-(3,4-dimethexybenzyl) -8'-(3',4'-dimethoxy-α-hydroxybenzyl)-butyrolactone (10) , (7R,8S)-dihydrodehydro...