posted on 2003-07-29, 00:00authored byGeorge R. Pettit, Yanhui Meng, Delbert L. Herald, Keith A. N. Graham, Robin K. Pettit, Dennis L. Doubek
Bioassay (P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell line and human cancer cell lines)-guided separation of an extract
prepared from the stem bark and twigs of the previously uninvestigated Ruprechtia tangarana led to the
isolation of a new isocarbostyril designated ruprechstyril (1), secalonic acid A (2), 2‘-O-methylevernic
acid (3), 3,3‘,4-tri-O-methylflavellagic acid (4), lichexanthone (5), methyl asterrate (6), and 3β,22E,24S-stigmasta-5,22-dien-3-ol (7). Only secalonic acid A exhibited cancer cell and microbial growth inhibition.
The structure of ruprechstyril (1) was determined by HRMS and 1D and 2D NMR spectra and confirmed
by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The structures and absolute stereochemistry of five of the other compounds
were also established by X-ray crystal structure determination.