The CHCl(3)-soluble extract from the flowers of the Mexican medicinal plant Ipomoea murucoides, through preparative-scale recycling HPLC, yielded murucoidins I-V (1-5), which are new pentasaccharides of jalapinolic acid, as well as the known stoloniferin I (6). Saponification of the crude resin glycoside mixture yielded two glycosidic acids, simonic acid B (9) and operculinic acid A (10), and their esterifying residues were composed of the two short-chain fatty acids, 2-methylpropanoic and (2S)-methylbutyric acids. All the isolated compounds (1-6) were characterized through high-field NMR spectroscopy. Compound 4 exhibited marginal cytotoxicity against Hep-2 cells (ED(50) 4 microg/mL).

A reinvestigation of the CHCl 3-soluble extract from flowers of the Mexican medicinal arborescent morning glory, Ipomoea murucoides, through preparative-scale recycling HPLC, yielded six new pentasaccharides, murucoidins VI-XI (1- 6), as well as the known pescaprein III (7), stoloniferin I (8), and murucoidins I-V (9- 13). Their structures were characterized through the interpretation of their NMR spectroscopic and FABMS data. Compounds 1-6 were found to be macrolactones of three known glycosidic acids identified as simonic acids A and B, and operculinic acid A, with different fatty acids esterifying the same positions, C-2 on the second rhamnose unit and C-4 on the third rhamnose moiety. The lactonization site of the aglycone was placed at C-2 or C-3 of the second saccharide unit. The esterifying residues were composed of two short-chain fatty acids, 2-methylpropanoic and (2S)-methylbutyric acids, and two long-chain fatty acids, n-dodecanoic (lauric) acid and the new (8R)-(-)-8-hydroxydodecanoic acid. For the latter residue, its absolute configuration was determined by analysis of its Mosher ester derivatives. All members of the murucoidin series exerted a potentiation effect of norfloxacin against the NorA overexpressing Staphylococcus aureus strain SA-1199B by increasing the activity 4-fold (8 microg/mL from 32 microg/mL) at concentrations of 5-25 microg/mL. Stoloniferin I (8) enhanced norfloxacin activity 8-fold when incorporated at a concentration of 5 microg/mL. Therefore, this type of amphipathic oligosaccharide could be developed further to provide more potent inhibitors of this multidrug efflux pump.