Andrographis elongata T. And (Acanthaceae) is an herbaceous plant distributed throughout the Western Ghats of South India.1) As part of our continuing investigation on the flavonoid constituents of Andrographis species, [2][3][4][5][6] we have examined the whole plant of A. elongata, a plant hitherto not investigated for its chemical constituents and report here the isolation and structure elucidation of two new 2Ј-oxygenated flavones (3, 5), in addition to three known flavones (1, 2, 4).
Results and DiscussionCompound 3, obtained as yellow crystals, mp 210-211°C, showed the pseudomolecular ion at m/z 301.0714 in its positive high resolution chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HR-CI-MS) corresponding to the molecular formula C 16 H 12 O 6 . This was corroborated by decoupled 13 C-NMR spectrum which showed signals for all the sixteen carbons of the molecule. The UV absorption maxima of 3 in MeOH (258, 303 nm) and a bathochromic shift of 62 nm with AlCl 3 / HCl suggested that it is a 5-hydroxyflavone.The 1 H-NMR spectrum of 3 showed the presence of a methoxyl (d 3.83), a chelated hydroxyl (d 12.88), two nonchelated hydroxyls (d 9.88, 2H) and a singlet at d 6.26 assigned to H-3. A set of meta coupled doublets (Jϭ2.2 Hz) resonating at d 6.38 and 6.61 were ascribed to H-6 and H-8 protons, respectively. From heteronuclear multiple bond connectivity (HMBC) and rotating frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (ROESY) studies the methoxyl group at d 3.83 was placed at C-7 as the methoxyl protons showed correlation with C-7 at 165.1 ppm in its HMBC spectrum ( Fig. 1) and two strong nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) were observed between methoxyl protons at C-7 and H-6 (d 6.38) and H-8 (d 6.61) protons (Fig. 1). The presence of AB 2 type aromatic proton signals of ring B at d 7.10 (1H, t, Jϭ8.2 Hz) and 6.40 (2H, d, Jϭ8.2 Hz) were typical of 4Ј, and 3Ј and 5Ј protons of 2Ј,6Ј-dihydroxy (or methoxy) flavones.7-9) The presence of 2Ј,6Ј-dioxygenation in 3 was also supported by the chemical shift values of the B-ring carbons which were very similar to those observed for the B-ring carbons of 2Ј,6Ј-dihydroxyflavones. 9,10) The electron impact-mass spectra (EI-MS) of compound 3 exhibited the molecular ion as the base peak at m/z 300, with the diagnostic peaks of retro-Diels-Alder cleavage of ring C at m/z 167 and 134 supporting the presence of a hydroxyl and a methoxyl in ring A, and two hydroxyls in ring B. From HMBC correlations the two non-chelated hydroxyls were located at C-2Ј and C-6Ј positions as both these hydroxyl bearing carbons at 156.6 ppm showed cross peaks with H-3Ј and H-5Ј (d 6.40), and H-4Ј (d 7.10) protons (Fig. 1). Thus the structure of compound 3 was elucidated as 5,2Ј,6Ј-trihydroxy-7-methoxyflavone.Compound 5, obtained as yellow amorphous powder showed [MϩH] ϩ peak at m/z 607.1807 in its HR-FAB-MS corresponding to the molecular formula C 32 H 30 O 12 , and was corroborated by 13 C-NMR spectrum which showed signals for all the 32 carbons of the molecule. The UV spectrum exhibited absorption maxima at 2...