Patent Abstract:
this invention is directed to novel compounds isolated or derived from alpiniae oxyphyllae fructus , chemically synthesized novel compounds , methods of preparing the novel compounds and uses thereof as neuroprotectants or drugs for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as parkinson &# 39 ; s disease .

Detailed Description:
as used herein and in the claims , “ comprising ” means including the following elements but not excluding others . the following examples are given by way of illustration of the present invention but should not be considered to limit the scope of the invention . reasonable variations , such as those understood by reasonable artisans , can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . specific rotation : [ α ] d 26 . 2 =− 11 . 3 ( c 3 . 0 , meoh ), [ α ] d 250 =− 19 . 4 ( c 0 . 72 , ch 2 cl 2 ). 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 2 . 18 , 2 . 11 ( 2h , m , h - 2α , 2β ), 1 . 80 , 2 . 17 ( 2h , m , h - 3α , 3β ), 2 . 67 ( 1h , m , h - 4 ), 1 . 85 ( 1h , m , h - 5 ), 1 . 01 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 58 hz , h - 6 ), 0 . 74 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 65 hz , h - 7 ), 6 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 52 hz , h - 3 ′), 6 . 85 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 52 hz , h - 4 ′), 6 . 85 ( 1h , s , h - 6 ′), 2 . 27 ( 3h , s , h - 7 ′) 13 c nmr spectrum ( 125 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 178 . 2 ( c - 1 ), 31 . 7 ( c - 2 ), 27 . 6 ( c - 3 ), 44 . 1 ( c - 4 ), 32 . 7 ( c - 5 ), 20 . 8 ( c - 6 ), 21 . 1 ( c - 7 ), 130 . 1 ( c - 1 ′), 151 . 9 ( c - 2 ′), 115 . 4 ( c - 3 ′), 127 . 4 ( c - 4 ′), 129 . 5 ( c - 5 ′), 128 . 2 ( c - 6 ′), 20 . 6 ( c - 7 ′) mass spectrum ( hr - esi - ms ): m / z 235 . 1369 [ m − h ] − ( calcd for c 14 h 19 o 3 , 235 . 1339 ) 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 2 . 18 , 2 . 16 ( 2h , m , h - 2 ), 1 . 97 , 1 . 74 ( 2h , m , h - 3α , 3β ), 2 . 25 ( 1h , m , h - 4 ), 1 . 79 ( 1h , m , h - 5 ), 0 . 76 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 68 hz , h - 6 ), 0 . 89 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 65 hz , h - 7 ), 6 . 40 ( 1h , s , h - 2 ′), 2 . 65 , 2 . 64 ( 2h , m , h - 4 ′ α , 4 ′ β ), 2 . 09 ( 2h , m , h - 5 ′), 1 . 45 ( 3h , s , h - 7 ′) 13 c nmr spectrum ( 125 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 178 . 3 ( c - 1 ), 45 . 5 ( c - 2 ), 25 . 6 ( c - 3 ), 45 . 3 ( c - 4 ), 31 . 2 ( c - 5 ), 20 . 4 ( c - 6 ), 21 . 0 ( c - 7 ), 139 . 0 ( c - 1 ′), 150 . 6 ( c - 2 ′), 69 . 0 ( c - 3 ′), 35 . 4 ( c - 4 ′), 37 . 1 ( c - 5 ′), 198 . 6 ( c - 6 ′), 27 . 6 ( c - 7 ′) mass spectrum ( hr - esi - ns ): m / z 253 . 1468 [ m − h ] − ( calcd for c 14 h 21 o 4 , 253 . 1445 ) 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 2 . 16 ( 2h , m , h - 2 ), 1 . 95 , 1 . 65 ( 2h , m , h - 3α , 3β ), 2 . 53 ( 1h , m , h - 4 ), 1 . 79 ( 1h , m , h - 5 ), 0 . 77 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 68 hz , h - 6 ), 0 . 86 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 65 hz , h - 7 ), 6 . 44 ( 1h , s , h - 2 ′), 2 . 66 , 2 . 44 ( 2h , m , h - 4 ′ α , 4β ), 2 . 10 ( 2h , m , h - 5 ′), 1 . 46 ( 3h , s , h - 7 ′) 13 c nmr spectrum ( 125 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 178 . 2 ( c - 1 ), 32 . 1 ( c - 2 ), 25 . 7 ( c - 3 ), 42 . 1 ( c - 4 ), 31 . 9 ( c - 5 ), 20 . 4 ( c - 6 ), 20 . 4 ( c - 7 ), 139 . 1 ( c - 1 ′), 149 . 6 ( c - 2 ′), 69 . 1 ( c - 3 ′), 37 . 0 ( c - 4 ′), 35 . 2 ( c - 5 ′), 198 . 7 ( c - 6 ′), 27 . 5 ( c - 7 ′) mass spectrum ( hr - esi - ms ): m / z 253 . 1480 [ m − h ] − ( calcd for c 14 h 21 o 4 , 253 . 1445 ) specific rotation : [ α ] d 25 . 0 =+ 20 . 0 ( c , 0 . 72 , ch 2 cl 2 ) 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 2 . 20 , 2 . 13 ( 2h , m , h - 2β , 2β ), 1 . 81 , 2 . 18 ( 2h , m , h - 3α , 3β ), 2 . 67 ( 1h , m , h - 4 ), 1 . 86 ( 1h , m , h - 5 ), 1 . 02 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 5 hz , h - 6 ), 0 . 74 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 5 hz , h - 7 ), 6 . 65 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 5 hz , h - 3 ′), 6 . 84 ( 2h , d , j = 8 . 5 hz , h - 4 ′), 6 . 84 ( 1h , s , h - 6 ′), 2 . 24 ( 3h , s , h - 7 ′) 13 c nmr spectrum ( 125 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 180 . 2 ( c - 1 ), 32 . 2 ( c - 2 ), 27 . 6 ( c - 3 ), 44 . 3 ( c - 4 ), 32 . 9 ( c - 5 ), 20 . 9 ( c - 6 ), 21 . 3 ( c - 7 ), 130 . 1 ( c - 1 ′), 151 . 8 ( c - 2 ′), 115 . 6 ( c - 3 ′), 127 . 4 ( c - 4 ′), 129 . 4 ( c - 5 ′), 128 . 6 ( c - 6 ′), 20 . 8 ( c - 7 ′) mass spectrum ( hr - esi - ms ): m / z 235 . 1358 [ m − h ] − ( calcd for c 14 h 19 o 3 , 235 . 1339 ) 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 2 . 20 , 2 . 13 ( 2h , m , h - 2α , 2β ), 1 . 82 , 2 . 18 ( 2h , m , h - 3α , 3β ), 2 . 66 ( 1h , m , h - 4 ), 1 . 87 ( 1h , m , h - 5 ), 1 . 02 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 5 hz , h - 6 ), 0 . 74 ( 3h , d , j = 6 . 5 hz , h - 7 ), 6 . 65 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 5 hz , h - 3 ′), 6 . 85 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 5 hz , h - 4 ′), 6 . 85 ( 1h , s , h - 6 ′), 2 . 24 ( 3h , s , h - 7 ′) 13 c nmr spectrum ( 125 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ ( ppm ) 180 . 2 ( c - 1 ), 32 . 2 ( c - 2 ), 27 . 6 ( c - 3 ), 44 . 3 ( c - 4 ), 32 . 9 ( c - 5 ), 20 . 7 ( c - 6 ), 21 . 3 ( c - 7 ), 130 . 1 ( c - 1 ′), 151 . 8 ( c - 2 ′), 115 . 6 ( c - 3 ′), 127 . 4 ( c - 4 ′), 129 . 4 ( c - 5 ′), 128 . 6 ( c - 6 ′), 20 . 9 ( c - 7 ′) after coarsely pulverized , air - dried fruits of a . oxyphyllae fructus were extracted with 95 % aqueous alcohol solution under reflux for three times , the extract solution was dried by rotary evaporator in a water bath . the dried crude extracts of a . oxyphyllae fructus were then suspended in ethanol and absorbed into the silica gel . after removal of ethanol , the dried silica gel was successively extracted with petroleum ether , ethyl acetate and ethanol to yield petroleum ether part , ethyl acetate part and ethanol part respectively . bioassay showed that the ethyl acetate part is the most bioactive and thus selected for further analysis . the ethyl acetate part was subjected for further separated by normal - phase silica gel column chromatography with chloroform mixed with increasing amount of methanol from 0 % to 20 % to yield 13 fractions ( fractions a - m ). bioassay showed that fraction g is the most bioactive . fraction g was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography eluting chloroform mixed with increasing amount of methanol from 0 % to 2 % to yield five major sub - fractions gs1 , gs2 , gs3 , gs4 and gs5 . sub - fraction gs2 was further fractionated by sephadex lh - 20 and compound 1 was obtained from an elution using 100 % methanol . the purity of compound 1 was monitored by thin layer chromatography with iodine as indicator . method of isolating compounds 2 and 3 from a . oxyphyllae fructus as presented in example 2 , the most active fraction g was fractionated by preparative high performance liquid chromatography and compounds 2 and 3 were obtained by an elution with 25 % acetonitrile . the purity of compounds 2 and 3 was monitored by uv at 254 nm the present invention provides evidences to support the use of compounds 1 , 2 and 3 as reference chemical markers for controlling the quality of a . oxyphyllae fructus . compound 1 together with its chiral isomer compound 4 and racemic compound 5 were synthesized as scheme ( i ) shows : compound a , 4 - methylanisole , ( 76 . 4 g , 625 mmol , 1 . 0 eq ) was added in drops to a solution of alcl 3 ( 100 g , 750 mmol , 1 . 2 eq ) in dcm ( 1000 ml ) at 0 ° c ., then isoburyryl chloride ( 80 . 0 g , 750 mmol , 1 . 2 eq ) was added dropwise to the solution while keeping temperature below 5 ° c . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for overnight . the mixture was then poured into crush ice ( 2 . 0 kg ); the organic layer was washed by with h 2 o and saturated aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and finally dried to give compound b ( 110 g , 92 %) as brown oil . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 14 ( d , j = 6 . 8 hz , 6h ), 2 . 05 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 44 - 3 . 51 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 85 ( s , 3h ), 6 . 85 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 7 . 22 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 7 . 31 ( s , 1h ). to a suspension of nah ( 34 . 3 g , 858 mmol , 1 . 5 eq , 60 % in mineral oil ) in thf ( 1000 ml ) triethylphosphonoacetate ( 192 g , 858 mmol , 1 . 5 eq ) was added dropwise while keeping temperature below 10 ° c . for 40 mins , the solution was then stirred at 0 ° c . for 30 mins . compound b ( 110 g , 572 mmol , 1 . 0 eq ) was added drop by drop while keeping temperature below 10 ° c . for 20 mins . the mixture was refluxed overnight . the reaction was quenched by aqueous nh 4 cl , the organic layer obtained was washed by with h 2 o and saturated aqueous nacl ; dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated , the residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel ( pe / etoac = 100 / 1 ˜ 30 / 1 ) to give crude compound c ( 150 g ) as a colorless oil , which contained compound b and compound c . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 81 - 1 . 18 ( m , 9h ), 2 . 20 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 53 - 2 . 59 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 89 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ), 5 . 83 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 67 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 71 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 98 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). a mixture of compound c ( 150 g , crude ) and pd / c ( 15 g , 10 %) in etoh ( 500 ml ) was stirred overnight at room temperature under h 2 atmosphere and then filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to give crude compound d ( 100 g , 61 % yield for 2 steps ) as a colorless oil , which contained compound d ( 84 %, w / w ) and compound b ( 16 %, w / w ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 76 ( d , j = 6 . 8 hz , 3h ), 0 . 79 ( d , j = 6 . 8 hz , 3h ) 1 . 06 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h ), 1 . 92 0 1 . 97 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 25 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 61 - 2 . 75 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 223 . 28 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 77 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 95 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ), 6 . 72 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 94 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). compound d ( 80 . 0 g , 255 mmol , 1 . 0 eq , 84 % w / w ) was added dropwise to a suspension of lah ( 13 . 8 g , 363 mmol , 1 . 43 eq ) in thf ( 500 ml ) at 0 ° c . over 30 min and then stirred at room temperature for 1 . 5 hrs . the reaction was successively quenched by h 2 o ( 13 . 8 g ), aqueous naoh ( 13 . 8 ml , 15 %) and h 2 o ( 41 . 4 g ), then filtered via celite and concentrated . the residue was pruified by column chromatography on silica gel ( pe / etoac = 50 / 1 - 20 / 1 ) to give compound e ( 41 . 4 g , 73 %) as a colorless oil . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 73 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 03 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 27 - 1 . 65 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 87 - 1 . 96 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 10 - 2 . 17 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 29 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 86 - 2 . 93 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 21 - 3 . 24 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 26 - 3 . 50 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 80 ( s , 3h ), 6 . 78 ( d , j = 8 . 1 hz , 1h ), 6 . 93 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 97 ( d , j = 8 . 1 hz , 1h ). mscl ( 42 . 6 g , 558 mmol , 2 . 0 eq ) was added in drops to a solution of compound e ( 41 . 4 g , 186 mmol , 1 . 0 eq ) and tea ( 56 . 5 g , 558 mmol , 3 . 0 eq ) in dcm ( 750 ml ) at 0 ° c . and the solution was stirred for 2 hrs at room temperature . after 2 hrs , the mixture was washed with h 2 o and then aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated to give compound f ( 55 . 8 g , 100 %) as a brown oil . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 0 . 97 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 1 . 84 - 1 . 91 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 97 - 2 . 06 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 18 - 2 . 26 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 83 - 3 . 14 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 75 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 88 - 3 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 00 - 4 . 05 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 86 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 96 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). a mixture of compound f ( 55 . 8 g , 186 mmol , 1 . 0 eq ) and nacn ( 18 . 2 g , 372 mmol , 2 . 0 eq ) in dmf ( 300 ml ) was stirred at 75 ° c . overnight and distributed into etoac and h 2 o . the organic layer was washed with h 2 o and saturated aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated to give compound g ( 38 . 5 g , 90 %) as a colorless oil . 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 71 ( d , j = 6 . 8 hz , 3h ), 0 . 99 ( d , j = 6 . 8 hz , 3h ), 1 . 85 - 2 . 17 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 28 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 75 - 2 . 81 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 3h ), 6 . 75 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 84 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 98 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). h 2 o 2 ( 32 . 0 g , 282 mmol , 1 . 5 eq , 30 % in h 2 o ) was added dropwise to a suspension of compound g ( 43 . 5 , 188 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) and k 2 co 3 ( 10 . 4 g , 75 . 2 mmol , 0 . 4 eq ) in dmso ( 220 ml ) at room temperature , the solution was then stirred at room temperature for 3 hrs . additional h 2 o 2 ( 32 . 0 g , 282 mmol , 1 . 5 eq , 30 % in h 2 o ) was added dropwise at room temperature for 1 hr . the mixture was separated between etoac and h 2 o , the organic layer was washed with h 2 o and then saturated aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated to give compound h ( 46 . 9 g , 100 %) as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 2 ): δ 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 00 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 73 - 2 . 21 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 28 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 79 - 2 . 84 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 79 ( s , 3h ), 5 . 38 ( brs , 2h ), 6 . 76 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 85 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 97 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). a mixture of compound h ( 46 . 9 g , 188 mmol , 1 . 0 eq ), naoh ( 30 . 1 g , 752 mmol , 4 . 0 eq ) and h 2 o ) 100 ml ) in etoh ( 400 ml ) was refluxed overnight and concentrated . ph of the residue was adjusted with 1n hcl to 2 , the residue was then extracted with etoac . the organic layer was washed with aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated to give compound i ( 47 . 1 g , 100 %) as a brown oil . 1 nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 01 ( d , j = 6 . 6 = hz , 3h ), 1 . 78 - 1 . 94 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 04 - 2 . 20 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 28 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 76 - 2 . 82 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 76 ( s , 3h ), 6 . 76 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 89 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 97 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ). hbr ( 235 ml , 33 % in acoh ) solution was added to a solution of compound i ( 47 . 1 g , 188 mmol ) in acoh ( 235 ml ) dropwise at room temperature , then refluxed overnight . the mixture was diluted with etoac and h 2 o . the organic layer was washed with h 2 o and saturated aqueous nacl , and subsequently concentrated . the residue was diluted with etoh ( 400 ml ) and h 2 o ( 40 ml ) with lioh . h 2 o ( 31 . 6 g , 752 mmol ) added ; the mixture was stirred for 1 . 5 hours at room temperature and then concentrated . the residue was diluted , and acidified with 1n hcl to ph 2 ˜ 3 . the organic layer was washed by h 2 o , and then aqueous nacl , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated . the residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel ( pe / etoac = 100 / 1 to 10 / 1 ) to give compound 5 ( 22 . 2 g , 50 %) as a white solid . 11 . 0 g of 5 was separated by chiral prep - hplc to give 4 . 5 g of compound 1 and 3 . 8 g of compound 4 . compound 1 : 1 h nmr 9 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 0 . 68 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 0 . 92 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 97 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 17 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 65 - 2 . 68 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 66 ( d , j = 7 . 6 hz , 1h ), 6 . 76 - 6 . 79 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 83 ( s , 1h ), 11 . 84 ( s , 1h ); 1 h nmr ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ 6 . 66 ( d , j = 8 . 52 hz , 2h ), 6 . 85 ( d , j = 8 . 52 hz , 2h ), 1 . 85 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 67 ( m , 1h (, 1 . 80 , 2 . 17 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 18 , 2 . 11 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 85 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 01 ( d , j = 6 . 58 hz , 3h ), 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 65 hz , 3h ), 2 . 27 ( s , 3h ); lcms [ mobile phase : from 95 % water ( 0 . 01 % nh 4 ac ) and 5 % ch 3 cn to 5 % water ( 0 . 01 % nh 4 ac ) and 95 % ch 3 cn in 6 min , finally under these conditions for 0 . 5 min ] purity is & gt ; 95 %, rt = 3 . 847 min ; ms calcd . : 236 ; ms found : 237 ([ m + h ] + ); chiral hplc ( chiralcel oj - h column ): rt = 7 . 16 min ( hex / t - bu - toh / tfa = 95 : 5 : 0 . 3 ), ee = 100 %; [ α ] d 25 =− 19 . 4 ( c 0 . 72 , ch 2 cl 2 ). compound 4 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d6 ): δ 0 . 68 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 0 . 92 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ), 1 . 66 - 2 . 01 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 17 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 65 - 2 . 67 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 66 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1h ), 6 . 76 - 6 . 79 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 79 - 8 . 84 ( brs , 1h ), 11 . 79 - 11 . 86 ( brs , 1h ); 1 h nmr ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ 6 . 65 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 2h ), 6 . 84 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 2h ), 6 . 84 ( 1h , s , h - 5 ), 2 . 67 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 81 , 2 . 18 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 20 , 2 . 13 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 86 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 02 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 2 . 24 ( s , 3h ); lcms [ mobile phase : from 95 % water ( 0 . 01 % nh 4 ac ) and 5 % ch 3 cn to 5 % water ( 0 . 01 % nh 4 ac ) and 95 % ch 3 cn in 6min , finally under these conditions for 0 . 5 min .] purity is & gt ; 95 %, rt = 3 . 849 min ; ms calcd . : 236 ; ms found : 237 ([ m + h ] + ); chiral hplc ( chiralcel oj - h column ): rt = 10 . 24 min ( hex / t - butoh / tfa = 95 : 5 : 0 . 3 ; enantiomer : rt = 7 . 31 min ), ee = 98 %; [ α ] d 25 =+ 20 . 0 ( c 0 . 72 , ch 2 cl 2 ) compound 5 : 1 h nmr spectrum ( 600 mhz , cdcl 3 , δ tms = 0 . 00 ppm ): δ 6 . 65 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 2h ), 6 . 85 ( d , j = 8 . 5 hz , 2h ), 6 . 85 ( s , 1h ), 2 . 66 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 82 , 2 . 18 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 20 , 2 . 13 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 87 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 02 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 2 . 24 ( s , 3h ). study on the effects in protection against mpp + induced cgns damage n - methyl - 4 - phenyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine ( mptp ) is the precursor of 1 - methyl - 4 - phenylpyridinium ( mpp + ), a mitochondrial electron - transport chain ( etc ) complex i inhibitor generated from mptp by the dopaminergic catabolic enzyme monoamine oxidase b . accumulation of mpp + in dopaminergic neurons results in atp deficiency , collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential , opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore ( mptp ), and production of ros , leading to apoptosis . mptp / mpp + has been widely used in in vitro and in vivo neuronal damage to model dopaminergic neurodegeneration characteristic of parkinson &# 39 ; s disease . primary cerebellar granule neurons ( cgns ) were prepared from 8 days old sprague - dawley rats , as described in a previous publication ( du , bales et al . 1997 ). cgns cultured in vitro for 7 days were pre - treated with serial concentrations of compounds 1 - 5 from 6 μm to 50 μm respectively for 2 hours , vehicle group was incubated with 0 . 1 % dmso . the cells were then exposed to 150 μm mpp + for 36 hours . for assessment of the cell viability , 15 μl of 5 mg / ml mtt solution was added to each well containing cell in 100 μl of medium , and the plates were incubated for 4 hours in a humidified incubator at 37 ° c . after incubation , 100 μl of absolute dmso was added and incubated for 10 min . absorbance at 570 nm of each well was measured with a microplate reader . fig1 shows that compounds 1 - 5 prevented mpp + - induced cgns damage . compound 1 shows neuroprotective effect on mpp + - induced primary sd rat cgns damage in a dose - dependent manner with e max at the concentration of 50 μm . compound 2 has neuroprotective effect on mpp + - induced primary sd rat cgns damage with e max at the concentration of 50 μm . compound 3 has neuroprotective effect on mpp + - induced primary sd rat cgns damage with e max at the concentration of 25 μm . compound 4 has neuroprotective effect on mpp + - induced primary sd rat cgns damage with e max at the concentration of 12 μm . compound 5 has neuroprotective effect on mpp + - induced primary sd rat cgns damage in a dose - dependent manner with e max at the concentration of 50 μm . as presented in fig1 , cell viability of cgns has been significantly increased upon pretreating with different concentrations of compounds 1 - 5 . thus , fig1 shows that compounds 1 - 5 can protect against neural damage induced by mpp + , and be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases . study on the effects in protecting pc12 cells against 6 - ohda - induced neuronal damage rat pheochromocytoma cells ( pc12 ) cells were seeded in c 100 cm dishes at a density of 1 . 5 ˜ 2 × 10 6 cells / dish . after culturing in a medium with a low serum level ( f - 12k medium with 0 . 5 % fbs ) for 24 hours , the cells were pretreated with serial concentrations of compound 1 from 6 μm to 50 μm for 12 hours . the cells were then exposed to 1 mm 6 - ohda for 2 hours . cell viability of cells were assessed similarly as described in example 5 . as shown in fig2 a , pc12 cells pretreated with compound 1 did not exhibit any cytotoxicity at all tested concentrations . 6 - ohda was cytotoxic to pc12 cells but compound 1 could alleviate the cytotoxic effect in a dose - dependent manner as shown in fig2 b . compound 1 exhibited a significant and maximum neuroprotective effect to 6 - ohda treated pc12 at 50 μm . baicalein , one of the main flavonoids extracted from the root of scutellaria baicalensis georgi ( sbg ), has been demonstrated to prevent against neuronal damage induced by 6 - ohda or mptp in both in vitro and in vivo models of parkinson &# 39 ; s disease ( im , joo et al . 2005 ; lee , noh et al . 2005 ; cheng , he et al . 2008 ; mu , he et al . 2009 ; mu , he et al . 2011 ). here baicalein was used as a positive control , which at the concentration of 100 μm obviously protected pc12 cells against 6 - ohda - induced neuronal damage . thus , fig2 a and 2b show that compound 1 can have neroprotective effect to 6 - ohda treated pc12 . further , compound 1 has neuroprotective effect on 6 - ohda - induced pc12 cell damage in a dose - dependent manner with maximum efficacy ( emax ) at the concentration of 50 μm . zebrafish embryo was dechorinated at 1 day post fertilization ( dpf ) and was cultured under co - treatment of 200 μm mptp and various concentrations of compound 1 for 48 hours . afterwards , zebrafish was fixed in 4 % paraformaldehyde in pbs for 5 hours , rinsed and stored at − 20 ° c . in 100 % etoh . whole - mount immunostaining was done by standard methods ( bitzur , kam et al . 1994 ). compound 1 attenuated mptp - induced da neuron injury in a dose - dependent manner as shown in fig3 d - f . further , compound 1 can protect mptp - induced dopaminergic neuron loss in zebrafish in a dose - dependent manner with e . at the concentration of 5 μm as shown in fig3 g in which the results were expressed quantitatively as percentages of area of th - positive cells in comparison to untreated control group . thus fig3 g shows that compound 1 can protect against th - positive cells loss . study on the effect in attenuating mptp - induced reduction of total travelling distance for zebrafish larvae the 3 dpf zebrafish larvae were co - treated with 200 μm mptp and various concentrations of compound 1 for 4 days . at 7 dpf , the total distance the larvae traveled was recorded using a 96 - well plate ( with 1 fish / well and 12 larvae per group ) filled with 200 μl embryo medium . larvae were allowed to accommodate in the system for an hour before data acquisition . the swimming pattern of each larva was recorded for 10 min in 3 times , with each record session separated by 10 min . the total distance traveled was estimated as the distance ( in mm ) that the larva had moved during one session ( 10 min ). as shown in fig4 a and 4b , compound 1 attenuated mptp - induced reduction of total distance traveled of the larvae in a dose dependent manner . primary cerebellar granule neurons ( cgns ) were prepared from 8 days old sprague - dawley rats as described ( zhang et al ., 2012 ). cgns that have been cultured in vitro for 7 days were pre - treated with serial concentrations of compound 1 from 3 μg / ml to 50 μg / ml for 2 hours or with 0 . 1 % dmso ( vehicle group ). the cell viability was estimated similarly as in example 5 . as shown in fig5 , both compound 1 and chrysin protected mpp + - induced cell damage in cgns in a dose - dependent manner . the cell viability was significantly enhanced when the cells were treated with 25 and 50 μm of compound 1 as well as with 12 and 25 μm of chrysin as compared with the control group treated with mpp + alone ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ). cgns were also co - treated with compound 1 and chrysin to explore the pharmacological interaction between two compounds . it is found that at higher concentrations such as 25 and 50 μm , the co - treatment did not exert any neuro - protective effect but imposed toxicity on the cgns ( data not shown ). conversely , at lower concentrations of 3 and 6 μm , compound 1 and chrysin showed significant synergistic neuroprotective effect as compared with cells treated with mpp + alone , mpp + / compound 1 and mpp + / chrysin . adult male c57bl / 6j mice ( 8 - 10 weeks of age , 18 - 22 g ) were used in this study . the animals were maintained in 12 / 12 h light / dark cycle and allowed access to food and water ad libitum . they were allowed to acclimate for 7 days before treatment . as shown in fig6 , all the animals were conducted behavioral training ( pole climbing , rotarod running and foot printing ) for total 4 days before mptp injection . then the mice were injected intraperitioneally ( i . p .) with 20 mg / kg mptp hydrochloride ( sigma aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), at 2 h internal for total 4 injections . normal control group were received saline ( 0 . 1 ml / 10 g ) by i . p . one hour prior each mptp injection , compound 1 ( 5 , 10 and 20 mg / kg ), rasagiline ( 1 mg / kg ) and equal volume of vehicle ( olive oil , 0 . 1 ml / 10 g ) were administrated by i . g . then , compound 1 , rasagiline or vehicle was given by i . g . once per day for total 7 days ( day 1 - 7 ). each of six groups was comprised of 10 mice . twenty - four hours after administration of the last dose of drugs ( on the day 8 as shown in fig6 ), mice were observed for neurobehavoral changes by pole test , rotarod test and footprint test . all the tests were done between 9 am and 2 pm under normal animal room lighting . the pole test was performed to detect impairment of limb movement . a table tennis ball ( 5 cm diameter ) was equipped on the top of a vertical pole ( 55 cm length and 1 cm diameter ). the pole was wrapped with a double layer of gauze to avoid slipping . the animal was placed head upward on the table tennis ball . the time the animal took to climb down to the floor was used to indicate performance . three - time repeated testes were carried out for each animal and the mean values were used for statistical analysis . the rotarod test could reveal motor coordination ability . a rotarod system ( yls - 4c , academy of medical sciences of shandong province , china ) was set at an accelerating program with a starting speed of 5 rpm to a final speed of 40 rpm . mice were allowed to adjust their posture in order to maintain their balance on a rotating rod during speed accelerating . infrared beams are used to detect with a mouse has fallen onto the base grid beneath the rotarod . the system logs the fall as the end of the experiment for that mouse , and the total time on the rotarod was recorded . for testing , 5 mice were tested at the same time . the average retention time on the rod was calculated . in the footprint test , mice with their forepaws and hind paws colored with red ink were trained to walk through a 5 cm - wide , 100 - cm - long corridor . their footsteps were recorded on a white absorbing paper . mice were sacrificed for tissue preparation on the day 9 as described in fig6 . mice in each group were anesthetized and perfused intracardially with 0 . 9 % sodium chloride containing heparin , and then fixed with 4 % paraformaldehyde ( pfa ). each brain was removed , dehydrated with graded alcohol and embedded in paraffin wax , coronally sectioned for 5 μm . the rostral and caudal part of the brain was divided for immunohistochemistry of substantia nigra pars compacta ( snpc ). the immunohistochemistry was conducted as previously described ( lee , kim et al . 2011 ; levites , weinreb et al , 2001 ). briefly , sections were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated in a graded ethanol series . sections were incubated with 3 % hydrogen peroxide ( h 2 o 2 ) for 10 min at room temperature to inactive endogenous peroxidase activity followed by antigen retrieval in citrate buffer for 15 min in a microwave oven at 95 ° c . non - specific protein binding was blocked with 10 % bovine serum in pbs ( 0 . 01 m , ph 7 . 4 ). between each treatment , the slides were washed at least three times with deionized water for 5 min . sections were then incubated for 1 h at room temperature with a rabbit anti - mouse th polycolonal antibody ( 1 : 1000 ; millipore , usa ) diluted in immunol staining primary antibody dilution buffer . then the sections were incubated with a biotinylated hrp - conjugated secondary antibody for 30 min at room temperature . th - positive neurons were then visualized using a dab kit according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( shanghai , gene company , china ). the peroxidase reaction was stopped after 3 min finally , sections were cover slipped with neutral balsam . the results were analyzed by counting the numbers of th - positive cells at × 10 magnifications on a stereomicroscope ( bx51 , olympus corp . japan ). th - positive cells in 8 position - matched sections of each mouse were counted manually by operator who was blinded to the drug treatment . the average number of th - positive cells per section was used to represent dopaminergic neuron livability . loss of snpc da neurons contributes to the movement abnormalities observed in pd . the movement of mice following mptp injections was assessed . fig7 a to 7d showed that mptp significantly increased the time climbing down from the pole ( fig7 a ), delayed the time of crossing the corridor ( fig7 b ), reduced the time of mice on rotating rotor rod ( fig7 c ) and caused mice to lose their normal gait , shortening stride length ( fig7 d ). as such , fig7 a to 7d show that compound 1 treatment largely corrected the movement abnormalities in a dose - dependent manner . effect of compound 1 on snpc da neurons loss of mptp - treated mice injection of mptp ( 20 mg / kg ) every 2 h for a total of four doses over an 8 h period in 1 d caused about 40 % th - positive da neurons loss in the snpc at 7 days post injection , and the loss of th - positive cells appeared somewhat more marked in the middle than in the rostral and the caudal part ( fig8 a and b ). pre - and post - treatment with compound 1 significantly reduced the mptp - induced th - positive cell body loss in a dose - dependent manner ( fig8 a and 8c ). the same schedule was used for rasagiline , a selective mao - b inhibitor approved for treatment of pd patients , also prevented against the mptp - induced th - positive cell body loss . the present invention provides three isolated and purified compounds : 1 (( r )- 4 -( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl )- 5 - mehtylhexanoic acid ), 2 (( 4s )- 4 -( 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - 6 - oxocyclohex - 1 - enyl )- 5 - methylhexanoic acid ) and 3 (( 4r )- 4 -( 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - 6 - oxocyclohex - 1 - enyl )- 5 - methylhexanoic acid ), isolated form a . oxyphyllae fructus , with neuroprotective effect as shown in the above examples ; and two synthesized compounds : 4 (( s )- 4 -( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl )- 5 - methylhexanoic acid ) and 5 ( 4 -( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl )- 5 - methylhexanoic acid ) with neuroprotective effect . these five lead compounds have neuroprotective effects which could be developed into therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases ( e . g . parkinson &# 39 ; s disease ). further , the present invention provides a simple and easy method for extraction and purification of these three novel compounds 1 - 3 from a . oxyphyllae fructus and an elaborated procedure for synthesizing compounds 1 , 4 and 5 . in vitro neuroprotective activity on cgns of compounds 1 - 5 is also presented . furthermore , this invention shows that compound 1 possesses in vivo and in vitro neuroprotective activities on pc12 cells and zebrafish . data presented herein show that , on mpp + induced primary cultured cerebral granular neurons ( cgns ) damage , compounds 1 - 5 showed concentration dependent neuroprotective effect at concentration of 6 - 50 μm . moreover , compound 1 could prevent pc12 cells against 6 - ohda - induced neurtoxicity ; protect zebrafish from mptp - induced dopaminergic neuron loss ; and improve the impairment of swimming behavior induced by mptp in zebrafish . compound 1 could also ameliorate the movement impairments of mptp - treated mice and reduced the mptp - induced th - positive cell body loss . in addition , compound 1 and chrysin ( another known flavonoid compound isolated from a . oxyphyllae fructus ) showed synergistic neuroprotective effects on mpp + - induced cgns damage . these results suggest that compounds 1 - 5 alone or their combination with other neuroactive compounds can be used as a drug for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as parkinson &# 39 ; s disease . in addition to the single compound method of treatment described above , the combination of compound 1 and chrysin show synergistic effect . one skilled in the art in the course of developing a treatment regime will be able to determine the optimal therapeutic dose to administer to a patient either using one of the above compounds or in combination without undue experimentation . the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described . although the description referred to particular embodiments , it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details . hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . unless define otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention , the preferred methods and materials are now described . all publication mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to described and disclose specific information for which the reference was cited in connection with . all references cited above and in the following description are incorporated by reference herein . the practice of the invention is exemplified in the following non - limiting examples . the scope of the invention is defined solely by the appended claims , which are in no way limited by the content or scope of the examples . an , l ., s . guan , et al . 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