Alkaloids with Nitric Oxide Inhibitory Activities from the Roots of Isatis tinctoria

As our ongoing research project on Ban Lan Gen (Isatis tinctoria roots), a total of 23 alkaloids were obtained. Compounds 1 and 2 contain an unusual C-C bond between the 2(1H)-quinolinone moiety and the phenol moiety and between the 2(1H)-quinolinone moiety and the 1H-indole moiety, respectively. Compound 3 possesses an unusual carbon skeleton and its putative biosynthetic pathway was discussed, and Compound 23 was deduced as a new indole alkaloid glycoside. Compounds 4-7 were identified as four new natural products by extensive spectroscopic experiments. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory activity was assessed based on nitric oxide (NO) production using Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Compounds 9, 15, and 17 showed inhibitory effects with IC50 values of 1.2, 5.0, and 74.4 mu M.