Nitric Oxide Inhibitory Activity of Xanthones from the Green Fruits of Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum

Abstract

Three new xanthones, pruniflorone M-O (1–3), and a new xanthonolignoid, 3-methoxy-5′-demethoxycadensin G (4), were isolated from the green fruits of Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum along with three known xanthones (5–7) and a known flavonoid (8). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and the structure of 1 was also determined by X-ray crystallography. Compounds 2 and 7 showed potent nitric oxide inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 4.4 and 4.3 μM, respectively. Moreover, 7 also showed strong antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with an MIC value of 4.67 μg mL–1.