Microthecaline A, a Quinoline Serrulatane Alkaloid from the Roots of the Australian Desert Plant Eremophila microtheca

Chemical investigation of the roots of the Australian desert plant Eremophila microtheca yielded microthecaline A (1), a novel quinoline–serrulatane natural product. The structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configuration was assigned by ECD. Compound 1 exhibited moderate antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 strain), with an IC50 of 7.7 μM. Microthecaline A represents the first quinoline–serrulatane alkaloid to be isolated from Nature.