Lycibarbarspermidines A–O, New Dicaffeoylspermidine Derivatives from Wolfberry, with Activities against Alzheimer’s Disease and Oxidation

Fifteen new dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives, lycibarbarspermidines A–O (<b>1</b>–<b>15</b>), were isolated from the fruit of Lycium barbarum (wolfberry). The structures were unambiguously determined by spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. Dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives, a rare kind of plant secondary metabolites, are primarily distributed in the family of Solanaceae. Only six compounds were structurally identified, and all of them are acyclic aglycones. Compounds <b>1</b>–<b>15</b> are the first glycosidic products of dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives, and compounds <b>14</b>–<b>15</b> are the first cyclization products of dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives. Moreover, dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives were first isolated and identified from wolfberry. The short-term memory assay on a transgenic fly Alzheimer’s disease (AD) model showed that <b>1</b>–<b>15</b> exhibited different levels of anti-AD activity. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay revealed that <b>1</b>–<b>15</b> all displayed antioxidant capacity. Both anti-AD and antioxidant functions are related to the effects of wolfberry. Therefore, dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives are considered beneficial constituents responsible for the antiaging, neuroprotective, anti-AD, and antioxidant effects of wolfberry

Houttuynoid M, an Anti-HSV Active Houttuynoid from <i>Houttuynia cordata</i> Featuring a Bis-houttuynin Chain Tethered to a Flavonoid Core

Houttuynoid M (<b>1</b>), a new houttuynoid, and the related known compound houttuynoid A (<b>2</b>) were isolated from <i>Houttuynia cordata</i>. Their structures were defined using NMR data analysis, HR-MS^<i>n</i> experiment, and chemical derivatization. Houttuynoid M is the first example of a houttuynoid with a bis-houttuynin chain tethered to a flavonoid core. A putative biosynthetic pathway of houttuynoid M (<b>1</b>) is proposed. The anti-herpes simplex virus (anti-HSV) activities of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> (IC₅₀ values of 17.72 and 12.42 μM, respectively) were evaluated using a plaque formation assay with acyclovir as the positive control