Three new lupane-type triterpenes from Ceriops tagal

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Phytochemistry
• Marine Botany

Background:

• Mangrove plants, such as Ceriops tagal, are rich sources of diverse bioactive compounds.
• Triterpenes are a class of natural products with a wide range of pharmacological activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize novel triterpenes from the aerial parts of Ceriops tagal.
• To contribute to the understanding of the chemical diversity of mangrove ecosystems.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation through comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis (NMR, MS).
• Chemical derivatization and comparison with known compounds.

Main Results:

• Three new lupane-type triterpenes were identified: 3 alpha-O-trans-feruloylbetulinic acid (1), 3 alpha-O-trans-coumaroylbetulinic acid (2), and 3beta-O-cis-feruloylbetulin (3).
• Ten known triterpenes (compounds 4-13) were also isolated and identified.
• The structures of the new compounds were confirmed using spectroscopic and chemical methods.

Conclusions:

• The aerial parts of Ceriops tagal yield a rich profile of lupane-type triterpenes.
• The discovery of new triterpenes expands the known chemical constituents of this mangrove species.
• Further investigation into the biological activities of these isolated triterpenes is warranted.