Bioactive compounds from the seeds of Crevost et Lemaire, a Chinese spice as inhibitors of sphingosine kinases, SPHK1/2.

Crevost et Lemaire (Zingiberaceae), a traditional Chinese spice also known as "Caoguo" or "tsao-ko," has been considered to have many health benefits. As part of our continuous efforts to screen natural resources exhibiting potential bioactivity, we examined the seeds of and found that its EtOH extract inhibited sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 (SPHK1/2). Bioactivity-based analysis and chemical investigation of the EtOH extract led to the isolation and identification of four aliphatic alcohols (1-4), five fatty acids (5-9), 12 phenolics (10-21), and four terpenoids (22-25), including four new compounds, an acetylated aliphatic alcohol (2), a fatty acid (5), and two phenolics (10-11).