Lupeol and resveratrol from the stembark of Shorea ovalis (Dipterocarpaceae)

Dipterocarpaceae is a plant family of large three that is widely distributed in the tropical rain forest of Southeast Asia, such as Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. Shorea is the largest genus of Dipterocarpaceae [1]. This genus is the most economically important in Malaysia. The timbers produced are very diverged, ranging from light to very heavy, and are characterized by the presence of intercellular resin canals with color ranging from white, yellow, pink, dark-red to brown.In Malaysia, Shoreais known as Balau, Meranti Pa'ang, Meranti Damar Hitam and Red Meranti. Shorea ovalis is the species included in the group of Red Meranti. Locally it is known as Meranti Kepong. So far, very limited chemical constituents have been reported from Shorea ovalis. In this study, a phytochemical study was conducted on the stem bark of Shorea ovalis. The stem bark was obtained from Hutan Simpan, Jengka, Pahang. The cleaned, chopped and dried stem-bark was grinded into powder. The powder was extracted using acetone for several times. The separation of the components was carried out using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) followed by radial chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography method. The structure of the pure compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic methods including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), UV-Vis, and comparison with literature. Two compounds were isolated and identified as lupeol [2,3] and resveratrol. These compounds were reported for the first time from this plant.

We thank the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam for providing the laboratory facilities to do the research.

[1] Noviany. Modern Applied Science 2009; 3: 45 – 51

[2] Pattamadilok D, Suttisri R. J Nat Prod 2008; 71: 292 – 294

[3] Jamal Ak, Yaacob WA, Din LB. Journal of Physical Sciences 2008; 19: 45 – 50