Abstract
Aporphine alkaloids were the characteristic compounds with hypoglycemic effects in Cassytha filiformis. Utilizing chromatographic separation techniques including silica gel and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, three new aporphine alkaloids were successfully isolated and purified. Their structures were elucidated using various spectroscopic techniques, including one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS). The new compounds were identified as 10-demethylcassythine (1), 3-demethylcassythine (2), and N-demethyllastourvilline (3). The absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined using electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The effects of the new compounds on promoting glucose consumption in HepG2 cells at varying concentrations were tested. The results indicate that compound 1 significantly enhanced glucose consumption at 20 μM.