A new indole alkaloid and anti-inflammatory constituents from Strychnos cathayensis

A new indole alkaloid, 11,12-dimethoxyhenningsamine (1), was isolated from the roots of Strychnos cathayensis, together with 19 known compounds. The structure of this new compound was determined through spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses. Among the isolated compounds, 11-methoxy-henningsamine (3) and aesculetin dimethyl ether (4) exhibited potent inhibition (IC50 <5.5 mu g/ml) on superoxide-anion generation and elastase release by human neutrophils in response to fMet-Leu-Phe/ cytochalasin B.