Sixteen new quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs), named ormosianines
A–P
(1–16), and 18 known congeners (17–34) were isolated from the stems and
leaves of Ormosia yunnanensis. The structures were
elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses and electron circular dichroism
(ECD) calculations. Structurally, ormosianines A (1)
and B (2) are the first examples of cytisine and Ormosia-type alkaloids with the cleavage of the piperidine
ring. Results of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory assay
revealed that the pentacycline Ormosia-type QAs,
including 1, 16, 24, and 27–29, are good AChE inhibitors. Ormosianine
A (1) exhibited more potent AChE inhibitory activity
with an IC50 value of 1.55 μM. Molecular docking
revealed that 1 might bind to the protein 1DX4, forming
two hydrogen bonds with residues SER-238 and HIS-480.