Abstract
Invasive species are currently a world menace to the environment, although the study of their chemistry may provide a means for their future beneficial use. From a study of Portuguese Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. five known compounds were isolated: lupeol, 3β-Z-coumaroyl lupeol, 3β-E-coumaroyl lupeol (dioslupecin A), kolavic acid 15-methyl ester and vomifoliol (blumenol A). Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and as a result some corrections are made to their previous 13C NMR assignments. Cytotoxicity of 3β-E-coumaroyl lupeol (dioslupecin A) and kolavic acid 15-methyl ester was evaluated against HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells although biological activity was not evident.
Highlights
Plant invasive species are one of the great threats to biodiversity since they establish and supersede native species, leading occasionally to the extinction of the latter, by disrupting the biotic and abiotic balance of the invaded ecosystem
Following our interest in the chemistry of invasive species, in this study we report on the isolation of five compounds: lupeol 1 [33], 3β-Z-coumaroyl lupeol 2 [34,35], 3βE-coumaroyl lupeol 3 [36,37], kolavic acid 15-methyl ester 4 [38,39,40] and vomifoliol 5 [41,42,43] from a Portuguese invasive A. melanoxylon and demonstrate the utility of investigating its phytoconstituents, and as corollary of invasive species in general
As for the utility of the study of the chemistry of invasive species, here illustrated by two extracts of A. melanoxylon, we can propose that they can be used as a source of bioactive metabolites
Summary
Plant invasive species are one of the great threats to biodiversity since they establish and supersede native species, leading occasionally to the extinction of the latter, by disrupting the biotic and abiotic balance of the invaded ecosystem Apart from this ecological impact, they have a socio-economic impact by influencing human health, infrastructures and local economies [1,2]. These species have long been a concern in the Portuguese territory [3,4,5] and elsewhere, which resulted in the publication of legal regulations to prevent and manage the introduction and spread of invasive alien plants, both at the national [6] and European level [7,8]. The prevalence of invasive species over endemic ones relies on the bioactivity of the metabolites they produce as invaders, that are surely responsible for their ease of expansion and dominance of the new habitat [11,12]
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