CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF THE STEM BARK OF Bombax ceiba

Bombax ceiba L. (syn. B. malabaricum DC. and Salmalia malabaricum DC.) is commonly known as cotton tree and is widely distributed throughout Africa, Asia, and Australia [1]. The bark of this plant is used in wound healing, while the gum has been used as a remedy for influenza, diarrhea, dysentery, and menorrhagia [2]. Previous phytochemical investigations on the bark of B. ceiba resulted in the isolation of shamimicin, lupeol, mangiferin, epicatechin-7-O-β-xylopyranoside, epicatechin- 3-O-β-xylopyranoside, shamiminol, stigmasta-3,5-diene, lupenone, (±)-lyoniresinol-2a-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and opuntiol [3]. During our recent chemical investigation of this plant, 10 compounds, bomcibone (1), scopoletin (2), lupeol (3), glochidonol (4), alphitolic acid (5), salicylic aldehyde (6), gallic acid (7), quercetin (8), luteolin (9), and rutin (10), were isolated from the stem bark of B. ceiba. To the best of our knowledge, compound 1 was assigned as a new natural phthalate derivative [4], whereas 4–6 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The structures of all isolated compounds were identified from their spectroscopic data and comparison with those reported in the literature.