Hostasinine A (
1), a benzylphenethylamine alkaloid with an unprecedented skeleton featuring a C-4-C-6
linkage and a nitrone moiety, wasisolated from
Hosta plantaginea. Its structure was estab
lished on the basis of spectroscopic data, and was further confirmed by single-crystalX-ray diffraction. The alkaloid was postulated biogenetically from haemanthidine via
N-oxidation and aza-aldol-type condensation and wassynthesized biomimetically. The inhibitory activities of
1 on acetylcho
linesterase (AChE) and two tumor cell
lines (K562 and A549) were alsoevaluated.