O estudo fitoquímico das flores e frutos verdes de Senna spectabilis forneceu um novo alcaloide 2,6-dialquilpiperidin-3-ol chamado de (-)-7-hidróxi-cassina, juntamente com cinco alcaloides conhecidos: (-)-cassina, (-)-espectalina, (-)-3-O-acetil-espectalina, (-)-7-hidróxi-espectalina e (-)-6-iso-espectalina. Além dos alcaloides, também foram isolados constituintes químicos de outras classes como o esteroide β-sitosterol, os flavonoides luteolina e 3-metóxi-luteolina, o triterpeno ácido betulínico e o ácido trans-cinâmico. A partir do levantamento bibliográfico foi possível observar que os compostos estão sendo relatados pela primeira vez nesta espécie.

The phytochemical study of flowers and green fruits of Senna spectabilis furnished a new substituted 2,6-dialkylpiperidin-3-ol alkaloid, named (-)-7-hydroxycassine, along with five known piperidine alkaloids: (-)-cassine, (-)-spectaline, (-)-3-O-acetylspectaline, (-)-7-hydroxyspectaline and (-)-iso-6-spectaline. In addition to non-alkaloidal, chemical constituents from other chemical classes were also identified, including the steroid β-sitosterol, the flavonoids luteolin and 3-methoxyluteolin, the triterpene betulinic acid and trans-cinnamic acid. To our knowledge, compounds are being reported for the first time in this species.

Species of Cassia are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, and have been extensively investigated chemically and pharmacologically.They are known to be a rich source of phenolic derivatives, most of them with important biological and pharmacological properties. Some Asian, African and Indian tribes use these species as a laxative, purgative, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory agent. Among a number of other classes of secondary metabolites, such as anthracene derivatives, antraquinones, steroids and stilbenoids, biologically active piperidine alkaloids are an especially important bioactive class of compounds that showed to be restricted to a small group of Cassia species. In this paper we present an overview of the chemical, biological and ethnopharmacological data on Cassia piblished in the literature.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative pathology with severe economic and social impact. There is currently no cure, although cholinesterase inhibitors provide effective temporary relief of symptoms in some patients. Nowadays drug research and development are based on the cholinergic hypothesis that supports the cognition improvement by regulation of the synthesis and release of acetylcholine in the brain. There are only four commercial medicines approved for treatment of AD and natural products have played an important role in the research for new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.