Novel Flavonol Alkaloids in Green Tea: Synthesis, Detection, and Anti-Alzheimer’s Disease Effect in a Transgenic <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> CL4176 Model
Chen‐Hui Chen, Yi Yang, Jia‐Ping Ke, Zi Yang, Jiayi Li, Yuxing Zhang, Guangjin Liu, Zhijun Liu, Guangmin Yao, Guan‐Hu Bao
Abstract
Novel N -ethy-2-pyrrolidinone-substituted flavonols, myricetin alkaloids A–C ( 1 – 3 ), quercetin alkaloids A–C ( 4a, 4b, and 5 ), and kaempferol alkaloids A and B ( 6 and 7 ), were prepared from thermal reaction products of myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol─ l -theanine, respectively. We used HPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS to detect 1 – 7 in 14 cultivars of green tea and found that they were all present in “Shuchazao,” “Longjing 43”, “Fudingdabai”, and “Zhongcha 108” green teas. The structures of 1 – 4 and 6 were determined by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies. These flavonol alkaloids along with their skeletal flavonols were assessed for anti-Alzheimer’s disease effect based on molecular docking, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and the transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans CL4176 model. Compound 7 strongly binds to the protein amyloid β (Aβ 1–42 ) through hydrogen bonds (BE: −9.5 kcal/mol, K i: 114.3 nM). Compound 3 (100 μM) is the strongest one in significantly extending the mean lifespan (13.4 ± 0.5 d, 43.0% promotion), delaying the Aβ 1–42 -induced paralysis (PT 50: 40.7 ± 1.9 h, 17.1% promotion), enhancing the locomotion (140.0% promotion at 48 h), and alleviating glutamic acid (Glu)-induced neurotoxicity (153.5% promotion at 48 h) of CL4176 worms ( p < 0.0001).