A Novel Cardenolide Glycoside Isolated from <i>Xysmalobium undulatum</i> Reduces Levels of the Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated β-Amyloid Peptides Aβ42 In Vitro

oleh: Anuradha Thakur, Phanankosi Moyo, Carl Johan van der Westhuizen, Hyun Ok Yang, Vinesh Maharaj

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-07-01

Deskripsi

Elevated levels of the amylo β-proteins (Aβ), particularly Aβ42, are associated with a high risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Aβ proteins are produced from cellular processing of the amyloid precursor proteins (APPs). To identify natural products that block the formation of Aβ-proteins from APPs, we previously screened a library of plant extracts and identified <i>Xysmalobium undulaum</i> (Apocynaceae) as a potential plant for further research. Here, we provide a report on the isolation and identification of the active principles from the plant species using a bioassay-guided fractionation. Fractions and resulting pure compounds from the purification process of the extract of <i>X. undulatum</i> were screened in vitro against APPs transfected HeLa cell lines. Three compounds, acetylated glycosydated crotoxogenin (<b>1</b>), xysmalogenin-3, β-<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucopyranoside (<b>2</b>), and crotoxigenin 3-<i>O</i>-glucopyranoside (<b>3</b>), were subsequently isolated and their structures elucidated using NMR and mass spectrometry. Compound <b>1</b>, a novel cardenolide, and <b>2</b> significantly decreased the Aβ42 levels in a dose-dependent manner while compound <b>3</b> was inactive. In silico investigations identified the AD’s β-secretase enzyme, BACE1, as a potential target for these compounds with the glycoside moiety being of significance in binding to the enzyme active site. Our study provides the first report of a novel cardenolide and the potential of cardenolides as chemical scaffolds for developing AD treatment drugs.