Phytochemical investigation of Pseudolephantopus spiralis (Less.) Cronquist

Introduction The genus Pseudoelephantopus (Asteraceae) consists of approximately three species native to temperate and tropical region of North and South America and distributed into the Lesser Antilles and moist uplands in the Galàpagos Islands1. Pseudolephantopus spiralis (Less.) Cronquist is erect perennial, stoloniferous herb, with leaves cauline, petioles indistinct blades oblanceolate to obovate, acute to obtuse at the apex, attenuate at the base. Some species belonging to this genus are used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory condition such as edema, chest pain, nephritis, fever and coughing associated with pneumonia, scabies and anthralgia due to wounding2. In literature are reported the antinflammatory, antileishmanial2 and cytotoxic activities of different sesquiterpenes lactones isolated from the aerial parts of Pseudolephantopus spicatus3. Materials and Methods The dried aerial parts of Pseudolephantopus spiralis were subjected to extraction with methanol. Methanol extract was partitioned between n-butanol/water to afford a n-butanol soluble portion. The n-butanolic extract was carried to dry and then dissolved in chloroform. A portion of chloroform extract (5g) was subjected to different chromatographic techniques as Silica gel, MPLC and rp-HPLC. Methanol and aqueous extracts of Pseudolephantopus spiralis were also subjected to different biological tests: DPPH, Folin–Ciocalteu, TBARS, inhibition of nitric oxide production and citotoxicity through DOJINDO Cell Counting Kit-8, CCK-8. Results and Discussion The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR Spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 13C DEPT, DQF-COSY, HSQC, HMBC, ROESY ) and mass spectrometry studies The Pseudolephantopus spiralis chloroform extract phytochemical study allowed us to identify two new sequiterpenes lactones along with three known compounds 8α-acetoxy-10α-hydroxy-13-O-methylhirsutinolide4, spicatolide A4 and 8α,13-Diacetoxy-1α,10α,-1β,5β-diepoxygermacra-7(11)-en-12-olide5.