A new ceramide and other constituents from Crinum ornatum (L.f.) Herb. (Amaryllidaceae) and their chemophenetic significance

A previously undescribed ceramide, crinceramide (1), along with nineteen known compounds (2-20) were isolated from Crinum ornatum (L.f.) Herb. using column chromatography techniques over silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. The structure of the new compound was established by different spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D-NMR, HRESI-MS and chemical conversions. The extract and fractions had strong activities on three human cancer cells (lung A549, breast MCF7, and cervical HeLa) with IC50 from <0.63 to 9.76 mu g/mL whereas compounds displayed IC50 ranging from 39.79 to > 100 mu M. Moupinamide (2) was the most active with IC50 39.79 +/- 0.47 mu M on A549 cell and 1 had IC50 > 100 mu M against all cells used. The antibacterial activity was also assayed and moupinamide (2) had significant activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis (MIC = 9.7 mu g/mL) while other samples possessed mostly weak and moderate activities. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first isolation of ceramide from the Crinum genus, providing new insights into the chemodiversity of this genus. Moreover, new data concerning the pharmacological properties of C. ornatum (L.f.) Herb. and its chemophenetic significance in the genus Crinum and the Amaryllidaceae family were revealed.