Two new cucurbitane triterpenoids from the seeds of Momordica charantia

Abstract

Two new cucurbitane triterpenoids 1 and 2 were isolated, together with six known compounds, from the seeds of Momordica charantia L. The structures of new compounds were determined to be 3-O-{[β-d-galactopyranosyl(1 → 6)]-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl}-23(R), 24(R), 25-trihydroxycucur-bit-5-ene (1), 3-O-[β-d-galactopyranosyl]-25-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7(R), 22(S), 23(R), 24(R), 25-pentahydroxycucurbit-5-ene (2), respectively. Their structures were elucidated by the combination of mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments and chemical reactions.

Keywords::

• Momordica charantia
• seeds
• cucurbitane triterpenoids
• Cucurbitaceae

Acknowledgments

This work was supported financially by National Science and Technology Project of China (No. 2011ZX09307-002-01). The authors acknowledge the Department of Instrumental Analysis, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College for all spectral analysis.