Four
new natural chemical entities, including 2-hydroxy-α-truxillic
acid (2), (3R,4S)-2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-(1-angeloyloxy)-6-acetyl-7-methoxychromane
(3), N-tricosanoyltyramine (4), and grandifolamide (5), were isolated along with
11 known compounds (1, 6–15) from the aerial parts of Ageratina grandifolia. The chemical structures were elucidated using chemical derivatization
and HR-MS, NMR, and DFT-calculated chemical shifts, combined with
DP4+ statistical analysis. It was found that 2 decomposed
into its biogenetic precursor, o-coumaric acid, upon
standing at room temperature for a few weeks. 3,5-Diprenyl-4-hydroxyacetophenone
(8), O-methylencecalinol (10), encecalin (11), and encecalinol (12)
bound to calmodulin (CaM) with higher affinity than chlorpromazine,
a well-known CaM inhibitor. Molecular dynamics studies revealed that
the complexes of these compounds with CaM remained stable during the
simulation. Altogether these results revealed the therapeutic and
research tool potential of compounds 8, 10, 11, and 12.