Bioactive Compounds from Carissa spinarum

Abstract

In our continuing efforts to find new antiherpetic agents from plants, an extract prepared from the stems of Carissa spinarum L. was found to possess appreciable activity against herpes simplex viruses (HSV I and II). A chemical study of this plant was then initiated, and this led to the isolation of 12 compounds, including a coumarin, two cardiac glycosides and nine lignans. These isolated compounds were evaluated for several biological activities, including antiherpetic, cytotoxic, antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The cardiac glycoside evomonoside was found to be the only antiherpetic principle, showing moderate activity against herpes simplex virus types I and II in the inactivation method. The lignans (-)-carinol, (-)-carissanol and (-)-nortrachelogenin exhibited cytotoxicity against breast (MCF7) and lung (A549) cancer cells. Moderate anti-DPPH free radical activity was observed for all the lignans. None of the isolates showed antibacterial activity.

The Genus Carissa: An Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review

“…1), have been isolated mostly from the roots of C. carandas [14, 15, 25, 27, 31], C. congesta [17], C. lanceolata [29], C. opaca [6, 26], and C. spinarum [28, 34]. It showed that pentacyclic oleanane triterpenes, oleanolic acid ( 15 ), β -amyrin ( 16 ), methyl oleanolate ( 17 ) and ursane triterpene, ursolic acid ( 6 ), had been isolated mostly from the roots of C. carandas [14, 15] and the aerial parts of C. macrocarpa [18].…”

“…In an effort by Wangteeraprasert R. et al to find new antiherpetic agents from the stems of C. spinarum [34], the cardiac glycoside evomonoside ( 23 ) was found to be the only antiherpetic principle, showing moderate activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV) types I and II in the inactivation method [34]. …”

“…So far, only two cardiac glycosides, evomonoside ( 23 ) and odoroside H ( 24 ) have previously been identified from the roots of C. spinarum [28, 34]. Odoroside H ( 24 ) was also isolated from the roots of C. lanceolata [29].…”

“…6) were isolated from Carissa species, mostly from the roots and stems as compared to the other parts of the plant. Carissanol ( 68 ), carinol ( 70 ), (+)-nortrachelogenin ( 78 ) and pinoresinol ( 80 ) were the most lignans characterized from the roots of C. edulis [5, 9, 21] and C. carandas [35], and stems of C. lanceolata [19] and C. spinarum [21, 34]. It is noted that carissanol ( 68 ) possessed a hemiacetal group in molecule.…”

“…So far, only nine Carissa species have been phytochemically studied. Terpenes [4–31], flavonoids [5, 6, 19, 32, 33], lignans [5, 9, 19, 26, 34–36], sterols [5, 6, 11, 15, 17, 31, 37, 38], simple phenolic compounds [5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 32, 36, 39], esters [6, 17, 21], fatty acids [17, 40] and other compounds [5–7, 9, 17, 20, 21, 32, 34] were identified across different species. Pharmacological studies on Carissa species have indicated significant antiplasmodial [5, 41], diuretic [42], anticonvulsant [43], antibacterial [9, 13, 19, 44, 45], anti-oxidant and anti-tumor [14, 21, 24, 46–49], antiviral [50–52], antiemetic [53], anti-hyperlipidemic [54], analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic activities [55–57], vasorelaxant [58], cardioprotective [59], hepatoprotective [38, 60–62], antidiabetic [63] and antihelminthiasis activities [64, 65].…”