sesquiterpenes from cymbopogon proximus倍半萜烯从cymbopogon proximus.pdfVIP

Molecules 2003, 8, 670-677 molecules ISSN 1420-3049 / Sesquiterpenes from Cymbopogon proximus Hesham I. El-Askary*, Meselhy R. Meselhy and Ahmed M. Galal Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, 11562, Cairo, Egypt; Fax: (+20) 2-3635140. * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail heshamaskary@ Received: 20 March 2003; in revised form: 23 July 2003 / Accepted: 26 July 2003 / Published: 15 August 2003 Abstract: In addition to four previously reported compounds: proximadiol (1), 5α-hydroxy-β-eudesmol (2), 1β-hydroxy-β-eudesmol (4) and 1β-hydroxy-α-eudesmol (5), two new sesquiterpenes, 5α-hydroperoxy-β-eudesmol (3) and 7α,11-dihydroxy- cadin-10(14)-ene (6) were isolated from the unsaponifiable fraction of the petroleum ether extract of Cymbopogon proximus STAPF. Isolation of compounds 2, 4 and 5 from the genus Cymbopogon is reported for the first time. The structure elucidation of these compounds was based primarily on 1D and 2D-NMR analyses. Keywords: Cymbopogon proximus; Gramineae; proximadiol; sesquiterpenes; NMR; MS. Introduction Cymbopogon proximus STAPF. (Gramineae) is a weed known as Halfabar that grows in the Egyptian desert. It is highly reputed in Egyptian folk medicine as an effective renal antispasmodic and diuretic agent [1,2]. Preliminary work on Cymbopogon proximus indicated that the unsaponifiable fraction of the petroleum ether extract of this plant possesses potent and unique antispasmodic