Antimicrobial hasubanalactam alkaloid from Stephania glabra.

A novel hasubanalactam alkaloid, named glabradine, has been isolated from the tubers of Stephania glabra, together with three known quaternary protoberberine alkaloids, palmatine, dehydrocorydalmine and stepharanine. The structure of glabradine was assigned as 7-O-demethyl-N,O-dimethyloxostephinine, by means of rigorous spectroscopic analysis including 2 D NMR measurements. It was evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. mutans, Microsporum gypseum, M. canis and Trichophyton rubrum and displayed potent antimicrobial activity superior to those of novobiocin and erythromycin used as positive controls.