Objective To study chemical constituents and neuroprotective activities of the branches and leaves of Aphanamixis polystachya. Methods Monomer compounds were obtained through separation and purification using various chromatographic techniques including silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase ODS column, Sephadex LH-20, semi-preparative HPLC, and recrystallization. Their structures were elucidated by modern spectroscopic methods including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Results A total of 21 compounds were isolated from the branches and leaves of A. polystachya, identified as, (2R,5R,8S,9S,10R)-1-[(E)-5-hydroxy-3-methylpent-3-en-1-yl]-4,4,8,10-tetramethyldecahydronaphthalene-2,8-diol (1), (1S,4aS,7R,8R,8aS)-decahydro-8-[(3E)-5-hydroxy-3-methyl-3-penten-1-yl]-4,4,7,8a-tetramethyl-1,7-naphthalenediol (2), 3β,8α,15-trihydroxy-13-labdane (3), 8β,15-dihydroxy-ent-labda-13E-en-3-one (4), labd-13(E)-ene-8α,15-diol (5), labd-13(E)-ene-8α-hydroxy-15-acetate (6), labda-7,13E-dien-15-ol (7), labda-8,13E-dien-15-ol (8), brachytylin D (9), labda-8(17),13E-dien-15-ol (10), selin-11-en-4α-ol (11), (±)-selin-11-en-4α-ol (12), (1S,5R,9R)-10,10-dimethyl-2,6-dimethylenebicyclo[7.2.0]undecane-5-ol (13), caryophyllenol-II (14), ciwujiatone (15), lyoniresinol (16), isolariciresinol (17), (±)-ficusesquilignan A (18), ficusesquilignan B (19), syringaresinol (20), methyl rosmarinate (21). Conclusion Compound 1 is a novel compound designated as labdane diterpenoid Z. Compounds 2-4, 9, 11-15, and 18-21 are isolated from genus Aphanamixis for the first time, which further enriches the chemical component database of the genus Aphanamixis. Furthermore, biological activity assays reveals that compound 21 exhibits neuroprotective activity.

branches and leaves of Aphanamixis polystachya (Wall.) R. N. Parker  /  labdane diterpenoid Z  /  methyl rosmarinate  /  caryophyllenol-II  /  ciwujiatone  /  neuroprotective activity