Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Perovskia Atriplicifolia and their in vitro Binding Affinity for Human Opioid and Cannabinoid Receptors

摘要

Plants and their natural products have been utilized for thousands of years in the treatment of many human diseases. Because of their structural diversity, natural products are ideal lead compounds for drug development. In this thesis, the natural products of the plant Perovskia atriplicifolia were investigated, specifically their in vitro binding affinity to receptors in opioid and cannabinoid classes. Extracts that demonstrated good selective opioid and cannabinoid receptor binding were subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation. Four active compounds were identified from the crude extract in Perovskia atriplicifolia: 1) 5-hydroxy-3’,4’,6,7-tetramethoxy flavone, 2) 5,7-dihydroxy-3’,4’,6,-trimethoxy flavone, 3) 5-hydroxy-4’,6,7-trimethoxy flavone, and 4) 5,7-dihydroxy-4’,6,-dimethoxy flavone. Each compound exhibited good selective δ-opioid receptor binding affinity and was characterized as a flavanoid. ud