A New Dioleate Compound from Callistemon lanceolatus

Abstract

Callistemon is a genus of 34 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, most of which are endemic to Australia. These species are commonly named bottle brush trees because of their cylindrical brush-like flowers resembling a traditional bottle brush. In the southern parts of Korea including Jeju Island, C. lanceolatus is cultivated mainly as ornamental plants in gardens. A previous study disclosed that the essential oils from the leaves of C. lanceolatus possess antimicrobial and fungitoxic activities. 1 In addition, anti-inflammatory activities were observed in the methanol extract from these leaves. 2 Flavonoids isolated from the aerial parts displayed a preventive effect against Alzheimer’s disease. 3 DPPH radical scavenging and elastase inhibition activities were also exhibited by the extracts of the stems. 4 In previous phytochemical studies, the extraction of C. lanceolatus leaves resulted in the isolation of triterpenes, 4,5 flavonoids, 3,6 phenolic compounds 7 and tannin derivatives. 8