The Chemical Constituents from Fruits of Walt. and Their α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity and Insulin Secretion Effect.

Catalpa pod has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in South America. Studies on the constituents of Catalpa species have shown that it is rich in iridoids. In the present study, three previously undescribed compounds (-), including two secoiridoid derivatives along with twelve known compounds, were isolated from the fruits of Walt. In addition, fully assigned C-NMR of 5,6-dihydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone-6--sophoroside () is reported for the first time in the present study. The structures of compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including UV, IR, 1D, and 2D NMR, mass spectroscopy, and CD spectroscopic data. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Among the tested compounds, compounds , , and exhibited significant inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase enzyme assay. Meanwhile, the effect of compounds , , and on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was measured using pancreatic β-cells. Compounds , , and exhibited non-cytotoxicity-stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1 cells. The expression levels of proteins associated with β-cell function and insulin secretion such as phosphorylation of total insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, activated pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) were increased in INS-1 cells after treatment with compounds , , and . The findings of the present study could provide a scientific warrant for their application as a potential antidiabetic agent.