Chemical and Bioactive Constituents from Formosan Zanthoxylum Species

There are approximately 100 species of Zanthoxylum in the tropical and subtropical regions, and 10 of them are indigenous to Taiwan. For the last 10 years, our laboratory has examined six species of Zanthoxylum in Taiwan (Z. ailanthoides, Z. integrifoliolum , Z. nitidum, Z. pistaciiflorum , Z. schinifolium and Z. simulans) for their chemical and bioactive compounds. This research has led to the isolation of 59 new compounds and around 200 known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic data and chemical evidence. These new compounds showed diversity of structures including benzo[c]phenanthridine, 2-phenyl-1-N-methylphthaliamide, pyranoquinoline, 2-quinolone, isobutylamide, indolopyridoquinazoline, aporphine, phenylacetonitrile, coumarin, phenylpropanoid, lignan, and flavonoid. Several isolates showed antiplatelet aggregation activity in vitro.