Four undescribed sulfur-containing indole alkaloids with nitric oxide inhibitory activities from Isatis tinctoria L. roots.

Four undescribed sulfur-containing indole alkaloids, isatisindigoticanines H, I and isatindigosides F, G along with three known analogues were obtained from Isatis tinctoria L. roots. Isatisindigoticanines H and I contained an unusual 1-(thiazol-4-yl)butane-1,2,3,4-tetraol moiety while isatindigosides F and G possessed a new 3-[3-(1H-indole-2-yl)azet-2-yl]-1H-indole skeleton. The putative biosynthetic pathways of isatisindigoticanines H, I and isatindigosides F, G are proposed. The isolated compounds showed nitric oxide inhibitory effects with IC50 values ranging from 4.3 to 70.3 μM.