Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids from the Fruit of Tabernaemontana litoralis and Differential Alkaloid Composition in Various Fruit Components

Two new monoterpene indole alkaloids, isoakuammiline (1) and 18-hydroxypseudovincadifformine (2), and five known alkaloids, coronaridine (3), heyneanine (4), 3,19-oxidocoronaridine (5), tabersonine, and strictosidine, were identified from the fruit of Tabernaemontana litoralis. The structures of the alkaloids were determined using NMR and MS data analyses. While 18-hydroxypseudovincadifformine (2) showed a new hydroxylation pattern, isoakuammiline (1) revealed a novel skeleton for monoterpene indole alkaloids. In spite of the isolation of stemmadenine from the fruit tissues in other Tabernaemontana species, this vital biosynthetic precursor of iboga, aspidosperrna, and pseudoaspidosperma skeletons was not found in T. litoralis.