Chemical variability of Cleistopholis patens (Benth.) Engl. et Diels leaf oil from ivory coast.

The chemical composition of 48 leaf oil samples isolated from individual plants of Cleistopholis patens (Benth.) Engl. et Diels harvested in four Ivoirian forests was investigated by GC-FID (determination of retention indices), GC/MS, and (13) C-NMR analyses. The main components identified were ß-pinene (traces-59.1%), sabinene (traces-54.2%), (E)-ß-caryophyllene (0.3-39.3%), linalool (0.1-38.5%), (E)-ß-ocimene (0.1-33.2%), germacrene D (0.0-33.1%), α-pinene (0.1-32.3%), and germacrene B (0-21.2%). The 48 oil compositions were submitted to hierarchical clustering and principal components analyses, which allowed the distinction of three groups within the oil samples. The oil composition of the major group (GroupI, 33 samples) was dominated by (E)-ß-caryophyllene and linalool. The oils of Group II (eight samples) contained mainly ß-pinene and α-pinene, while those of Group III (seven samples) were dominated by sabinene, limonene, and ß-phellandrene. Moreover, the compositions of the Ivoirian C. patens leaf oils differed from those of Nigerian and Cameroonian origins.

Nor-cucurbitacins from the leaves of Mareya micrantha (Benth.) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae).

Mareya micrantha, an Ivoirian medicinal plant, was investigated for its chemical constituents and antioxidant properties. This study carried out on the hydroethanolic extract of the leaves led to three new nor-cucurbitacins named: 29-nor-1,2,3,4,5,10-dehydro-3,15α,20ß-trihydroxy-16α-acetyl-11,22-dioxo-cucurbita-23-ene 2-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), 29-nor-2ß,20ß,25-trihydroxy-16α-acetyl-3,11,22-trioxo-cucurbita-4,23-diene (2) and 29-nor-2ß,15α,20ß-trihydroxy-16α-acetyl-3,11,22-trioxo-cucurbita-4,23-diene 2-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3). The structures were established on the basis of spectral data (NMR, UV, MS and IR). The antioxidant properties evaluated by DPPH and CUPRAC methods gave the best activity with compound 1. The chemotaxonomic significance of the isolation of these compounds in Mareya micrantha, a species belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, is discussed.

Five new cassane diterpenes from the seeds and bark of Erythrophleum suaveolens.

Five new cassane-type diterpenoid heterosides, i. e. two cassane-type amides (1-2), two erythrophlamine-type amine esters (3-4) and a non­nitrogenous erythrophlamine analogue (5) were isolated from the root barks (1-2) and the seeds (3-5) of Erythrophleum suaveolens. Their structures were unambiguously established by interpretation of their HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR data, and chemical degradation for sugar determination. Compounds 3-5 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against a panel of three cell lines, revealing modest to strong activities.