Phytochemical Study of Stem and Leaf of Clausena lansium

Clausena lansium Lour. Skeels (Rutaceae) is widely distributed in South China and has historically been used as a traditional medicine in local healthcare systems. Although the characteristic components (carbazole alkaloids and coumarins) of C. lansium have been found to possess a wide variety of biological activities, little attention has been paid toward the other components of this plant. In the current study, phytochemical analysis of isolates from a water-soluble stem and leaf extract of C. lansium led to the identification of 12 compounds, including five aromatic glycosides, four sesquiterpene glycosides, two dihydrofuranocoumarin glycosides, and one adenosine. All compounds were isolated for the first time from the genus Clausena, including a new aromatic glycoside (1), a new dihydrofuranocoumarin glycoside (6), and two new sesquiterpene glycosides (8 and 9). The phytochemical structures of the isolates were elucidated using spectroscopic analyses including NMR and MS. The existence of these compounds demonstrates the taxonomic significance of C. lansium in the genus Clausena and suggests that some glycosides from this plant probably play a role in the anticancer activity of C. lansium to some extent.

Shamiminol: A New Aromatic Glycoside from the Stem Bark of Bombax ceiba

A new aromatic glycoside, shamiminol was isolated from the stem bark of Bombax ceiba along with the known constituents stigmasta-3,5-diene, lupenone, (±)-lyoniresinol 2a- O-β-D-glucopyranoside and opuntiol, obtained for the first time from this plant. The structure of shamiminol was elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric studies as 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenol 1- O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1).