Planta Med 2009; 75 - L2
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234236

New chemistry from South East Asian medicinal plants

Rudiyansyah 1, 2, Suciati 1, 3, LK Lambert 1, BP Ross 4, MJ Garson 1
  • 1School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Q 4072, Australia
  • 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Tanjungpura University, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
  • 3Faculty of Pharmacy, Airlangga University, East Java, Indonesia
  • 4School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Q 4072, Australia

Indonesia comprises only 1.3% of the earth's land surface, but has 11% of the world's higher plants, with over 1000 different plant extracts used in traditional medicines. [1] In a collaborative program on the chemistry of Indonesian medicinal plant species, we have examined the natural products chemistry of plants of the genus Durio and Fagraea. Both triterpene and lignan metabolites were isolated from Durio along with well known compounds such as 3-hydroxymellein that are characteristic of fungi. The relative and absolute configuration of a set of new neolignan metabolites (1) – (4) were explored by NMR and by CD studies. The genus Fagraea was generally characterized by iridoid glycosides, however the unusual new terpene alkaloid fagraeoside (5) was isolated from Fagraea racemosa.

Acknowledgements: AusAID

References: [1] Anonymous (2000) World Resources 2000–2001, people and ecosystems: the fraying web of life, World Resources Institute, Washington DC; 246–248