In the search for potential antiobese agents from natural sources, this study investigated the effects of betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpene from Clusia nemorosa L. (Clusiaceae), in mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). Adult male Swiss mice (n = 8) treated or not with BA (50 mg/L, in drinking water) were fed a HFD during 15 weeks. Mice treated with BA and fed a HFD showed significantly (P < 0.05) decreased body weights, abdominal fat accumulation, blood glucose, plasma triglycerides, and total cholesterol relative to their respective controls fed no BA. Additionally, BA treatment, while significantly elevating the plasma hormone levels of insulin and leptin, decreased the level of ghrelin. However, it caused a greater decrease in plasma amylase activity than the lipase. These findings suggest that BA has an antiobese potential through modulation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and it may be a suitable lead compound in the treatment of obesity.

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The zoanthids Palythoa caribaeorum and Protopalythoa variabilis are among the most abundant marine species along the Brazilian coast. We now report the isolation and structure elucidation of two unprecedented sulfonylated ceramides, palyosulfonoceramide A (1) and palyosulfonoceramide B (2) from specimens collected off Brazil’s northeastern coast. The structures of 1 and 2 were established using a combination of NMR analyses, including: evaluation of 1H, 13C, 1H–1H COSY, 1H–13C HSQC, 1H–13C HMBC, and 1H–15N HMBC NMR spectra, high-resolution mass spectrometry and chemical degradation. In addition, we also isolated the corresponding known ceramides, N-((2S,3R,4E,8E)-1,3-dihydroxyoctadeca-4,8-dien-2-yl)-hexadecanamide (3) and N-((2S,3R,4E)-1,3-dihydroxyoctadeca-4-en-2-yl)-hexadecanamide (4), which provided further support for the assignments of 1 and 2.

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The phytochemical investigation of extracts from the branch wood and branch barks of Andira surinamensis yielded a novel isoflavone dimer, 4'-methoxyisoflavone-(7-O-7'')-3''',4'''-methylenedioxyisoflavone (surinamensin), along with the triterpene lupeol and the known isoflavones 5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone (biochanin A), 5,4'-dihydroxy-7-methoxyisoflavone (prunetin), 7,3'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone (calycosin), and 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone (pratensein). The structure of the new isoflavone was elucidated by 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and by comparison with published data for closely related compounds.