Chemical constituents of Cichorium intybus and their inhibitory effects against urease and α-chymotrypsin enzymes

Abstract

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of Cichorium intybus L. resulted in the isolation and identification of two new natural metabolites, 2,6-di[but-3(E)-en-2-onyl]naphthalene (1), and 3,3′,4,4′- tetrahydroxychalcone (2), along with nine known compounds. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D NMR. The known compounds were identified as scopoletin (3), 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (5), 4,4′-dihydroxychalcone (6), 6,7-dihydroxycoumarine (7), 1-triacontanol (8), lupeol (9), β-sitosterol (10), and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (11). Compounds 4-6 and 8 are reported for the first time from C. intybus. Compounds 2 and 3 showed weak inhibitory activities against urease and α-chymotrypsin enzymes, respectively.