Friedelane triterpoids from rawsonia lucida

Abstract

Rawsonia lucida (Flacourtiaceae) is an evergreen tree or shrub that is mainly distributed in tropical and southern Africa. Recent survey of plants traditionally used for the treatment of malaria have shown that the leaves of this plant exhibit in vitro antimalarial activity with ICso value of29.8Jlg!ml against Plasmodium falciparum. In this study the stem bark ofthis plant was investigated and five friedelane-type triterpenes were isolated and identified as fridelin (1), canophyllol (2), canophyllal (3) friedelane-l,3- dione (4), and 28-hydroxyfriedelane-l ,3-dione (5). In this presentation the isolation and structure eiucidation ofthese compounds will be discussed.