Chemical constituents from the leaves of Cinnamomum camphora and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities

The phytochemical investigation on the n-BuOH fraction of the Cinnamomum camphora extract led to the isolation and identification of 37 secondary metabolites. Among them, compound 1, named as camphodiol A, was a new phenylpropanoid glycoside, while compounds 2-10, 12, 13, 16-25, 27, and 29-37 were firstly isolated from this plant. The isolates were evaluated for their alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities, and compounds 9, 1225, 27 and 29 showed potent activities with IC50 values ranging from 0.26 to 113.87 mu M. The molecular docking analysis indicated that compound 22 could bind within the active pocket of the alpha-glucosidase through the hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interaction. These results demonstrated that the utilization of C. camphora leaves may have potential beneficial effects for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Automated summary

A phytochemical investigation on the n-BuOH fraction of Cinnamomum camphora extract led to the discovery of 37 secondary metabolites, including a new phenylpropanoid glycoside compound. The isolated compounds showed potent inhibitory activities against alpha-glucosidase, indicating the potential beneficial effects of C. camphora leaves for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.