Planta Med 2013; 79 - PI54
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1352143

New secondary metabolites from Gentiana spec.

D Kaya 1, FN Yalçın 1, E Bedir 2, TJ Schmidt 3, T Ersöz 1
  • 1Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, TR-06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey
  • 2Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, TR-35100 Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
  • 3University of Münster, Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Corrensstr. 48, D-48149 Münster, Germany

The genus Gentiana (Gentianaceae) consists of many species with interesting phytochemical properties which have been widely used in traditional folk medicine [1]. Some members of Gentiana are used as folk remedies in Anatolia for their antipyretic, stomachic, stimulant of appetite, hepatoprotective, antidepressant and antidiabetic activities [2 – 5]. Iridoids, secoiridoids, C-glycosylflavones and xanthones are considered as the most promising groups of compounds responsible for the pharmacological activities of Gentiana species [1]. In a continuation of the phytochemical investigations on the genus, we have isolated one new flavonoid C-glucoside (1) along with 4 known compounds (2 – 5) from Gentiana pyrenaica and one new secoiridoid glucoside (6) and a known xanthone (7) from Gentiana verna subsp. pontica. The compounds were characterized by various chromatographic methods and the structures of the isolates were elucidated by means of spectroscopic (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2D-NMR and Mass spectr.) evidence.

Fig. 1

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by Hacettepe University Research Foundation (Project No. 0601301004).

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[1] Jensen S.R., Schripsema J. (2002) GENTIANACEA-Systematics and Natural History, Struwe, L., Albert, V. Eds., Cambridge University Press.

[2] Baytop, T. (1999) Therapy with Medicinal Plants in Turkey (Past and Present), 2nd edn. Nobel Publication, İstanbul.

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[4] Sezik, E., et al. (2005) Life Sci. 76: 1223 – 1238.

[5] Deliorman, O.D., et al. (2003) Life Sci. 72: 2273 – 2283.