Flavonols and sesquiterpenoids from outer bark and leaves of Croton polycarpus Benth. (Euphorbiaceae)

Abstract

Some known flavonols from the outer bark polar fraction of the native species Croton polycarpus Benth. (Euphorbiaceae) were isolated and quercetin, quercitrin and rutin were identified as the most abundant constituents. From this sample, a clean TLC non polar sub-fraction (A-1) obtained by CC, afforded several isomeric compounds, which were characterized by GC-MS/EI and its results conduct to a group of eighteen sesquiterpenoids with a unique Rf value in TLC; among them, one sesquiterpene hydrocarbon with molecular weight (MW) of 200 g/mol (C15H20), two with MW 202 g/mol,(C15H22), thirteen with a MW of 204 g/mol (C15H24) and two sesquiterpenols with MW 220 g/mol (C15H24O) were determined. From its fresh leaves essential oil obtained by two methods, hydro-distillation and supercritical CO2 extraction, other terpenoids were identified, where the first one process was more efficient (1.5% DM yield) than the last one, and it was selected for a pilot study. This is the first report about chemical composition of the native species C. polycarpus, and the analysis of sesquiterpene isomerism is very important to recognize its structural diversity and similar chemical behavior.