Loddigesiinols G–J: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Dendrobium loddigesii

Four new polyphenols, loddigesiinols G–J (compounds 1–4) and a known compound, crepidatuol B (5), were isolated from the stems of Dendrobium loddigesii that have long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and have recently been used to treat type 2 diabetes. Compounds 1–5 structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of compounds 1–4 were determined using theoretical calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and the absolute configuration of compound 5 was determined by a comparison of the experimental ECD spectra and the literature data. Compounds 1–5 are strong inhibitors of α-glucosidase, with IC(50) values of 16.7, 10.9, 2.7, 3.2, and 18.9 μM, respectively. Their activities were significantly stronger than trans-resveratrol as a positive control (IC(50) values of 27.9 μM).