Impatiens balsamina L. is an annual herbaceous plant of Balsamineaceae family and the flowers of this plant
have been used to treat lumbago, neuralgia, burns and scalds. Previous phytochemical
studies have led to reports of naphthalene derivatives, triterpene glycosides, and
flavonoids associated with anti-microbial, antitumor, anti-allergy, antioxidant, antifungal,
and antinociceptive properties. In the course of our continuing search for biologically
active compounds from Korean medicinal sources, we investigated the white flowers
of I. balsamina. From their MeOH extract, two new phenolic compounds (1 – 2) containing nitrile group
and eleven known phenolic compounds (3 – 13) were isolated. The chemical structures
of new compounds (1 – 2) were determined through NMR, HRMS, and CD data. We tested
the isolated compounds (1 – 13) for their neuroprotective activity by determining
their effects on nerve growth factor (NGF) secretion in C6 cells and anti-neuroinflammatory
by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated
BV-2 cells.
