New N-alkylamides from Anacyclus pyrethrum

The roots of Anacyclus pyrethrum DC (Asteraceae) are frequently used in traditional medicine e.g. as aphrodisiac [1]. Depending on the extraction method and solvent, different yields of N-alkylamide constituents can be found, possibly resulting in alterations in biological effects and toxicity. Therefore, analytical profiling of the bio-active N-alkylamides in these plant preparations is an inevitable quality parameter, with liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) as recommended technique for comprehensive analysis of alkylamides in plant extracts [2-4].An N-alkylamide profiling from an ethanolic Anacyclus pyrethrum root extract was performed using a gradient reversed phase HPLC/ESI-MS method on an embedded polar column. MS1 and MS2 fragmentation data were used for identification purposes, while UV was used for quantification. Thirteen N-alkylamides (five N-isobutylamides, three N-methyl isobutylamides, four tyramides and one 2-phenylethylamide) were detected. Five of are novel compounds, which have never been identified in Anacyclus pyrethrum or other plants: Acknowledgements: Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen) (no. 091257) and the All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi, India. References: 1. Sharma, V., Thakur, M., Chauhan, N., Dixit, V. 2010 Planta Med 76:1214-1214. 2. Sharma, V., Boonen, J., Chauhan, N., Thakur, M. De Spiegeleer, B., Dixit, V. 2011 Phytomedicine, In press. 3. Kartal, M., Kan, Y., Gulpinar, A. R. 2007 Planta Med 73:253. 4. Boonen, J., Baert, B., Burvenich, C., Blondeel, P., De Saeger, S., De Spiegeleer, B. 2010 J Pharmaceut Biomed 53:243-249