Phytochemical Properties and Bioactivity of Acridone Alkaloids

Acridone alkaloids are nitrogen-containing tricyclic secondary metabolites predominantly found in the Rutaceae family. Their core structure combines an acridone nucleus with diverse substituents, giving rise to a rich array of chemical variants. Biosynthetically derived from the shikimate pathway, these compounds accumulate in roots, barks and leaves, where they serve ecological roles in plant defence. Phytochemical investigations have employed solvent extraction, chromatographic fractionation and spectroscopic techniques to isolate and characterise more than one hundred distinct acridones. Key analytical methods include ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry for molecular profiling, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for detailed structural elucidation. In vitro and in vivo studies have revealed broad bioactivity profiles, including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Specific acridones exhibit potent inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma species and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, while others demonstrate cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines via apoptosis induction and cell-cycle arrest. Structure–activity relationship analyses have pinpointed hydroxyl, methoxy and prenyl substituents as key determinants of potency and selectivity. Recent interest has focused on overcoming limitations of solubility and bioavailability through semi-synthetic derivatisation and nano-formulation strategies. The global significance of acridone alkaloids lies in their potential as lead compounds for novel anti-infective and anticancer therapeutics, driving interdisciplinary efforts that span natural product chemistry, pharmacology and drug-delivery research.

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Phytochemical Properties and Bioactivity of Acridone Alkaloids publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phytochemical properties and bioactivity of acridone alkaloids across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Acridone alkaloid: A class of nitrogen-containing tricyclic secondary metabolites characterised by an acridone core structure.

Dereplication: A rapid analytical strategy to identify known compounds in complex mixtures and prioritise novel entities for isolation.

UHPLC-HRMS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry for detailed molecular profiling.

Paramagnetic shift reagent: A lanthanide complex used to induce predictable changes in NMR chemical shifts, aiding structural elucidation.

Structure–activity relationship: The correlation between chemical structures of compounds and their observed biological activities.

References

1. Integrated Analytical Tools for Accessing Acridones and Unrelated Phenylacrylamides from Swinglea glutinosa. Molecules (2019).
2. Application of Lanthanide Shift Reagent to the 1H-NMR Assignments of Acridone Alkaloids. Molecules (2020).
3. Antiparasitic activities of acridone alkaloids from Swinglea glutinosa (Bl.) Merr.. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society (2009).
4. Glycosmis pentaphylla (Rutaceae): A Natural Candidate for the Isolation of Potential Bioactive Arborine and Skimmianine Compounds for Controlling Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Frontiers in Public Health (2020).