NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (8): 1713-1721. doi: 10.16333/j.1001-6880.2026.8.010 cstr: 32307.14.1001-6880.2026.8.010

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Chemical constituents from the branches and leaves of Styrax tonkinensis and network pharmacology study on their anti-atherosclerotic effects

GUO Zhong-tian1,SHI Ruo-lan1,XIE Lin1,LUO Qiong1,TAN Wan-jing1,ZHU Li-bin3*,WANG Feng1,2*   

  1. 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Guangdong Pharmaceutical University;2The state Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine Digital Quality Evaluation Technology Key Laboratory,Guangzhou 510006,China;3Jianmin Pharmaceutical Group Co.,Ltd.,Wuhan 430052,China
  • Online:2026-08-27 Published:2026-08-26

Abstract:

This study investigated the chemical constituents of Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hart. branches and leaves and their anti-atherosclerotic mechanism. The ethyl acetate extract of S. tonkinensis was isolated and purified using MCI, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC. Compound structures were identified through physicochemical properties, NMR spectroscopy, and literature comparison. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were employed to explore anti-atherosclerotic mechanisms. Nine compounds were isolated: 5α,6α-epoxy-3β-hydroxymegastigm-7-en-9-one (1), 3-hydroxy-β-ionone (2), E epipinoresinol (3), 9-methoxypinoresinol (4), puviatilol (5), (-)-eudesmin (6), methyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoate (7), 4-[[(3R, 4R)-4-[(3, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)methyl] tetrahydro-3-furanyl]methyl]-2-methoxy phenol (8), kaempferol (9). Among them, compounds 1, 2, and 4-9 were isolated from the genus Styrax for the first time. Network pharmacology results revealed that the nine compounds primarily target multiple proteins including prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), albumin (ALB), and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA). KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified key signaling pathways such as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways. This work provides the first systematic chemical analysis of S. tonkinensis branches and leaves, offering a foundation for further research.

Key words:

branches and leaves of Styrax tonkinensis, chemical constituents; atherosclerosis, network pharmacology, molecular docking

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