Study on the phenolic components of Pontederia vaginalis Burm. f

Pontederia vaginalis Burm. f. is an aquatic plant widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia, where its young leaves and stems are traditionally consumed. Despite its regional use as a food source, the phytochemical constituents of this species have remained largely unexplored. In particular, it has not been determined whether P. vaginalis contains phenylphenalenone-type compounds, which are known from related species such as P. crassipes (syn. Eichhornia crassipes). In this study, phytochemical investigation on P. vaginalis led to the isolation of two novel diallylheptanoids-pontevagonols A (1) and B (2)-as well as a naturally occurring phenylphenalenone, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-9-phenylphenalen-1-one (3), and eight known phenolic derivatives. This represents the first report of these compound types from P. vaginalis, and clarifies the phenolic composition of the Pontederiaceae family.