Bioassay-guided fractionation was conducted on a CHCl 3-soluble extract of the stem bark of Alstonia angustifolia (Apocynaceae) collected in Vietnam using the HT-29 human colon cancer cell line, and led to the isolation of a new sarpagine-type indole alkaloid (1), together with nine known alkaloids, including four macroline-derived alkaloids (2-5), a sarpagine-type alkaloid (6), and four macroline-pleiocarpamine bisindole alkaloids (7-10). The structure of the new compound (1) was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation. Compounds 1-10 were evaluated in vitro for their NF-κB (p65) inhibitory activity against the Hela cells in an ELISA assay. The new sarpagine alkaloid, N(4)-methyltalpinine (1), was found to show significant NF-κB inhibitory activity (ED 50 = 1.2 µM). Furthermore, all the isolates (1-10) were evaluated in vitro for their antileishmanial activity, and compounds (1-4, 6 and 8-10) exhibited leishmaniacidal activity against promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana.

Five new lupane triterpene coumaroyl esters (1-5), together with betulin (6) and a known Buxus alkaloid, N-3-benzoyldihydrocyclomicrophylline F (7), were isolated from a CHCl 3 -soluble partition of a methanol extract of Buxus cochinchinensis Pierre ex Gagnep. (Buxaceae) collected in Vietnam. Isolation work was monitored using human colon cancer cells . The structures of the new compounds (1-5) were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation. In addition to their cytotoxicity against HT-29 cells and NF-κB (p65) inhibitory activity in an ELISA assay, all isolates, as well as two semi-synthetic compounds derived from betulin and 5, respectively, were also evaluated for their in vitro antiplasmodial activities against the drugresistant Dd2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum and antifungal effects on the growth of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. The new lupane triterpene coumaroyl esters (1-5), along with Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no conflict of interest. HHS Public Access