Abstract
The phytochemical research on the species Siparuna echinata, collected in the Province of Loja (Ecuador), led to the isolation of a rare sesquiterpenoid, called Sipaucin A. The structure was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). Furthermore, the essential oil of the fruits was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography, coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Twenty-seven compounds were identified in a polydimethylsiloxane column (DB-5ms) and nineteen in a polyethylene glycol column (HP-INNOWax). Major compounds were α-pinene (24.3%, 20.3%), β-pinene (21.7%, 22.7%), β-myrcene (11.3%, 14.8%), limonene (10.0%, 11.3%), cis-ocimene (8.5%, 8.1%), and trans-ocimene (8.9%, 8.4%). In addition to the chemical analysis, the essential oil was submitted to enantioselective analysis of two major chiral monotherpenes, determining an enantiomeric excess of 100.0% for (+)-α-pinene and 6.7% for (+)-β-pinene.
Highlights
The geographic location of Ecuador, together with its geological features, makes this region one of the richest of the world in biodiversity
Monitoring Center) of the United Nations, Ecuador is considered among the 17 megadiverse countries, counting with about 10% of the entire world plant species [1,2]
We focused on some new terpenoids called Sipaucins, recently discovered in the species Siparuna pauciflora and described so far only once in literature [8]
Summary
The geographic location of Ecuador, together with its geological features, makes this region one of the richest of the world in biodiversity. New plants are discovered and classified by botanists, while most of the known ones have never been studied so far for their metabolic composition. This fact converts Ecuador to an invaluable source of potentially new molecules of biological and pharmaceutical interest [3]. For all these reasons, the authors have been carrying on, since many years, the chemical description of the secondary metabolite profile of never studied species in Ecuador, especially in the Province of. These studies are mainly focused on chemistry, with the structure elucidation of natural products, the analysis of new essential oils, and the description of biological activities [4,5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
