New cholinesterase-inhibiting steroidal alkaloids from Sarcococca saligna

Seven new steroidal alkaloids, 2-hydroxysalignarine-E (=(2'E,20S)-20-(dimethylamino)-2beta-hydroxy-3(tigloviamino)pregn-4-ene; 1), 5,6-dihydrosarconidine (=(20S)-20-(dimethylamino)-3beta-(methylamino)-5-apregn-16-ene; 2), salignamine (=(20S)-20-(methylamino)-3beta-methoxypregna-5,16-diene; 3), 2-hydroxysalignamine (= (20S)-20-(dimethylamino)-2[3-hydroxy-3#-methoxypregna-5,16-diene; 4), salignarine-F (= (2'E, 20S)-PF 20-(dimethylamino)-4beta-hydroxy-3beta-(tigloylamino)pregn-5-ene; 5), salonine-C (=(2'E,20S)-20-(dimethylamino)-3beta-(tigloylamino)pregna-4,14-diene; 6), and N-[formyl(methyl)amino]salonine-B (=(20S)-20-[formyl(met hyl)amino]-3beta-methoxypregna-5,16-diene; 7) have been isolated from the MeOH extract of Sarcococca saligna, along with the six known alkaloids dictyophlebine (8), epipachysamine-D (9), saracosine (10), iso-N-formylchonemorphine (11), sarcodinine (1-2), and alkaloid-C (13). The structures of 1-7 were deduced from spectral data. Compounds 1-13 demonstrated significant activity against acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase.