Anti-Inflammatory Meroterpenoids of Cordia glazioviana (Boraginaceae)

The phytochemical reinvestigation from the heartwood of the extracts of Cordia glazioviana led to the isolation of four still undescribed hydroquinones derivatives designated as cordiaquinol D (1), cordiaquinol E (2), (10R)-10,11-dihydrofuran-1,4-dihydroxy-globiferin (3) and 2-[(1’E,6’E)-3’,8’- dihydroxy-3’,7’-dimethylocta-1’,6’-dienyl]-benzene-1,4-diol (4), along with the naphthoquinone 6-[(2’R)-2’-hydroxy-3’,6’-dihydro-2H-pyran-5’-yl]-2-methoxy-7-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione (5). Additionally, six previously known compounds were also isolated: rel-1,4-dihydroxy-8(,11(;9(,11(-diepoxy-2-methoxy-8a(-methyl-5,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10a-octahydro-10-antracenone (6), didehydroconicol (7), 1(,6(-dihydroxy-7-epi-eudesm-3-ene (8), 1(,6(-dihydroxy-7-epi-eudesm-4(15)-ene (9), 10,11-dihydroxybisabolol (10), and hamanasal-A (11). The structures of the new compounds were assigned by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The relative stereochemistry of 3, 4, and 5 was improved by quantum mechanical calculations. Eight, out of the eleven isolated compounds (2-9), were tested through cellular viability and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation assays against RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. Compounds 3-5 exhibited a stronger effect on LPS-induced NO production (half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) 50.34, 105.83, and 66.73 µM, respectively).

Keywords:
Cordia glazioviana ; Boraginaceae; hydroquinones; naphthoquinones; anti-inflammatory activity