A new β-carboline alkaloid from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia

AimTo study the chemical constituents from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill.MethodsThe chemical constituents were isolated and purified by a combination of chromatographic materials including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and preparative TLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of MS and NMR data analysis. The cytotoxic activities were evaluated against HepG2 cancer cell line using the MTT colorimetric method.ResultsA new β-carboline alkaloid, griffonine (1), together with seven known alkaloids, hyrtioerectine B (2), 3-carboxy-6-hydroxy-β-carboline (3), hyrtiosulawesine (4), 5-hydroxyindole-3-carbaldehyde (5), 5-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyethyl) indole (6), trigonelline (7), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (8) were isolated and identified. Alkaloids 1, 2 and 4 showed growth inhibitory effects on the HepG2 cell line with IC50 values of 23.5, 9.6 and 19.3 μmol·L−1, respectively.ConclusionAlkaloid 1 is new and was named griffonine. Alkaloids 2–7 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Alkaloids 1, 2 and 4 were potentially cytotoxic.