Aporphine alkaloids of Ocotea brenesii

The aporphine alkaloids (+)-isocorydine, (-)-3-hydroxynuciferine, and 3-hydroxy-6a,7-dehydronuciferine were isolated from the alkaloid fraction of an ethanol extract of the leaves of Ocotea brenesii Standley. Although (+)-isocorydine has been isolated from extracts of several Ocotea species previously, this is the first reported isolation of (-)-3-hydroxynuciferine and 3-hydroxy-6a,7-dehydronuciferine from this genus. Finally, to our knowledge, this is the first reported isolation of (-)-3-hydroxynuciferine from nature, although the compound was previously synthesized from nuciferine. In addition, it is only the second reported isolation of 3-hydroxy-6a,7-dehydronuciferine from a higher plant.