Some compounds contained nitrogen and steroids from the seeds of Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens was used in traditional medicine by many nations on earth. It has possessed many bioactivities, especially as seeds. Up to now, there have not been many publications about its chemical constituents, both pharmacological and clinical, in Vietnam. In our research, a phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts from the seeds of M. pruriens led to the identification of three nitrogenous compounds: L-dopa (1), 5,6-dihydroxyindole (2), and L-proline (3), as well as two known compounds, stigmasterol (4), and β-sitosterol-3- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5). The compounds were characterised using utilisation of electrospray ionisation - mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and the results were compared with previously reported data. Compounds 2 and 3 have been isolated from this plant for the first time. In addition, the main constituent was identified as L-dopa (1), which has been shown to be a significant marker for chemotaxonomy. This chemical data will contribute new knowledge of this plant in Vietnam and around the world. Furthermore, our research findings can be applied in-depth studies of clinical medicine and pharmacology in the future.