title: First record of L-quebrachitol in Allophylus edulis (Sapindaceae).
abstract: Allophylus edulis, commonly called 'Chal chal', is a member of the Sapindaceae occurring in the Uruguayan and Brazilian native flora. During the phytochemical analysis of two Chal chal specimens from two well-differentiated geographical zones (Assis, São Paulo, Brazil, and Santa Lucía, Canelones, Uruguay), considerable amounts of L-quebrachitol were isolated from both samples. The isolation was carried out from the ethanolic twig extracts obtained by maceration of both vegetal samples. White easily distinguishable crystals were mechanically separated, washed, and characterized by 1D and 2D NMR experiments and by MS data. Such techniques confirmed that the crystals isolated from sources collected in both countries resulted in the same compound, l-quebrachitol, a natural product not previously reported for this species and one that has been investigated as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Worthy of note, the content of L-quebrachitol in A. edulis may be the chemical basis to explain its ethnobotanical uses, since infusions of this plant are used to treat diabetes in the practice of local traditional medicine.
authors: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química, UdelaR, Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Díaz
authors: Andrés
authors: A
authors: González
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Castro-Gamboa
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Rossini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D029631:Sapindaceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D010936:Plant Extracts; D007294:Inositol; C056476:quebrachitol