Major specialized natural products from the endangered plant Heptacodium miconioides, potential medicinal uses and insights into its longstanding unresolved systematic classification

Abstract

A comprehensive phytochemical investigation of the flower buds and leaves/twigs of Heptacodium miconioides, a cultivated ornamental plant native to China and categorized as ‘vulnerable’, has led to the isolation of 45 structurally diverse compounds, which comprise 18 phenylpropanoids (1–4, 7–20), 11 pentacyclic triterpenoids (5, 6, 21–29), eight secoiridoid glycosides (30–37), three quinic acid derivatives (38–40), and a few miscellaneous components (41–45). Among them, (+)-α-intermedianol (1), (+)-holophyllol A (2), and (−)-pseudolarkaemin A (3) represent previously unreported enantiomeric lignans, while (+)-7′(R)-hydroxymatairesinol (4) is an undescribed naturally occurring lignan. Heptacoacids A (5) and B (6) are undescribed 24-nor-urs-28-oic acid derivatives. Their chemical structures were determined by 2D-NMR, supplemented by evidence from specific rotations and circular dichroism spectra. Given the uncertainty surrounding the systematic position of Heptacodium, integrative taxonomy (ITA), a method utilized to define contentious species, is applied. Chemotaxonomy, a vital aspect of ITA, becomes significant. By employing hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and syntenic pattern analysis methods, a taxonomic examination based on the major specialized natural products from the flower buds of H. miconioides and two other Caprifoliaceae plants (i.e., Lonicera japonica and Abelia × grandiflora) could offer enhanced understanding of the systematic placement of Heptacodium. Additionally, compounds 39 and 40 displayed remarkable inhibitory activities against ATP-citrate lyase (ACL), with IC₅₀ values of 0.11 and 1.10 μM, respectively. In summary, the discovery of medical properties and refining systematic classification can establish a sturdy groundwork for conservation efforts aimed at mitigating species diversity loss while addressing human diseases.