Planta Med 2006; 72 - P_111
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-949911

Pyridine Alkaloids of Senna multijulga (Cesalpiniaceae) as Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

V da S. Bolzani 1, MAR Serrano 1, MN Lopes 1, MCM Young 2, LB Torres 2, EM Cardoso 2
  • 1Núcleo de Bioensaios, Biossíntese e Ecofisiologia de Produtos Naturais – NuBBE, Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP – Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Rua Prof. Francisco Degni s/n –14.800–900– Araraquara – São Paulo – Brazil
  • 2Instituto de Botânica, Avenida Miguel Stéfano 3687–04301–902– Água Funda – São Paulo – Brazil

As part of a search for naturally occurring acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, two new 2-methyl-3-hydroxyl-6-n-alquil-pyridine alkaloids 1–2 and the known flavonoid quercetin-3-O-glicopyranosyl-(1,6)-rhamnopyranoside, were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation from the leaves of Senna multijulga (Rich.) (Cesalpiniaceae), an ornamental plant species, popularly named “canafistula“, collected in Atlantic Forest, São Paulo State. Compounds 1 and 2 were submitted to preliminary TLC screening for selecting potential AchE inhibitors, in which both alkaloids 1 and 2 inhibited the enzyme at 0.1 and 0.5 mM concentrations. These compounds were also evaluated for their efficacy in an in vitro rat brain assay, to measure its AchE inhibitory potential, and additional results will be presented. (Supported by Program project Biota-FAPESP grant no 03/02176–7).

Acknowledgements: To Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), CAPES and CNPq for research funding.