Structure Identification And Biological Evaluation Of Compounds Isolated From Polygonum Hydropiper

Polygonum hydropiper (L.) (Polygonaceae) is a famous folk medicine. It is an annual plant 40 – 70 cm tall grown commonly in wet areas and distributed worldwide. Reported major classes of compounds include flavonoids, sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids. P. hydropiper extracts showed antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, antifeedant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, oestrogenic, anti-fertility, anti-adipogenic, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and neuroprotective activities. Phytochemical investigation of the aerial part of P. hydropiper led to the identification of vanicoside F, 5,6-dehydrokawain, aniba-dimer-A, 6,6'-(1R,2R,3S,4S)-2,4-diphenylcyclobutane-1,3-diyl)bis(4-methoxy-2 H-pyran-2-one), (E)-1-(2,4-dihydroxy-6-methoxyphenyl)-flavone, 3,7-dihydroxy-5,6-dimethoxy-flavone, 3,5-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-flavone, (+)-ketopinoresinol, pinosylvin, 2-desoxy-4-epi-pulchellin. The ten compounds were isolated for the first time from this species. Among them, eight compounds were tested for antimicrobial, antimalarial, antitrypanosomal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities.

Acknowledgements: The authors thank Mr. Liu Qiang for plant extraction, Ms. Marsha Wright for in vitro antimicrobial testing, Mr. John Trott for antimalarial and cytotoxicity testing, Ms. Olivia Dale for PPAR testing, Ms. Katherine Martin for antiinflammatory testing, Mr. Surendra Kumar Jain for antitrypanosomal activity, and Mr. Frank T. Wiggers for 2D NMR data. This work was supported by Efficient Platform Open Innovation Fund Project of Hunan Province: Study on Antifungal Constituents of Polygonum hydropiper Linn (NO. 13k077), and the USDA Agricultural Research Service Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58 – 6408 – 2-0009, and China Scholarship Council.