New oxindole and indole alkaloids from Gelsemium rankinii

Six new humantenine-type (1-6) and two new gelsemine-type (7, 8) oxindole alkaloids and one new indole alkaloid (9) were isolated from the leaves and branches of Gelsemium rankinii. The structures of the new alkaloids were determined by spectroscopic analyses. Among them, 6-hydroxyhumantenine (5) is the first example of a Gelsemium alkaloid with an oxygen function at C-6 position, and is a plausible biogenetic precursor of gelsemine-type alkaloids.