In preceding papers of this series, 1,2) we reported the isolation of twenty-two triterpenoids, including nine new compounds from the fresh fronds of Adiantum capillus-veneris L. (Adiantaceae) collected in Japan. Further investigation of A. capillus-veneris L. collected in China and Egypt has resulted in the isolation of two new triterpenoids; viz. 4a-hydroxyfilican-3-one (1) and fern-9(11)-en-12b-ol (2) of Chinese origin, and two oleanane triterpenoids; olean-12-en-3-one (3) and olean-18-en-3-one (4) of Egyptian origin (Chart 1). In fact, 3 and 4 are the first examples of oleanane compounds from Adiantum ferns. This paper deals with the isolation and structure elucidation of these new compounds.The constituents of the crude hexane extract of these fronds were purified by various chromatographic techniques (see Experimental) to give nineteen triterpenoids, seventeen of which were known: olean-18-en-3-one (3),3) olean-12-en-3-one (4), 3) ferrn-9(11)-ene (5), 4) ferna-7,9(11)-diene (6), 4) fern-7-ene (7), 4) hop-22(29)-ene (8), 4) filic-3-ene (9), 4) neohop-12-ene (10), 4) adiantoxide (11), 1) adiantone (12), 5) fern-9(11)-en-12-one (13), 5) 28-hydroxyfern-9(11)-ene (14), 1) isoadiantone (15), 6) isoglaucanone (16), 5) hydoxyhopane (17), 5) isoadiantol (18) 5) and hydroxyadiantone (19).
5)Compound 1 was obtained as colorless needles, and its high resolution HR-MS showed M ϩ at m/z 442.3804 suggesting the molecular formula to be C 30 H 50 O 2 (Calcd, 442.3810). Its IR spectrum indicated the presence of a hydroxyl and a carbonyl group. The 1 H-NMR spectrum of 1 displayed signals for six tertiary and two secondary methyl groups, and the chemical shifts of methyl protons (H-25-H-30) resembled those of filican-3-one (20) ( Table 1). The 13 C chemical shifts of 1 were also very close to those of 20 (Table 2), except for those of C-2, C-4, C-5, C-6 and C-24. The large down field shifts of C-4 by 22.8 ppm suggested that the hydroxyl group of 1 was located at C-4.The heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) spectrum of 1 also fully corroborated the above observation (Fig. 1) (25), and 191 (c) (27) (Chart 2) which also supported the assigned structure. The orientation of the hydroxyl group was deduced from the nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) spectrum of 1, which exhibited NOE correlations between the H 3 -23 and b-oriented H 3 -24, H 3 -24 and b-oriented H 3 -25, H 3 -25 and H 3 -26, and H 3 -27 and a-oriented H 3 -28 (Fig. 2), and therefore the OH group at C-4 must be a-oriented. Thus, the structure of 1 was established as 4a-hydroxyfilican-3-one.Compound 2 was obtained as a colorless needles, and its IR spectrum suggested the presence of hydroxyl group in the molecule. Its molecular formula was deduced to be C 30 (44) and 134 (e) (79) (Chart 2) in its MS indicated that 2 is a fernene derivative with a hydroxyl group at ring A, B or C of the molecule. The 1 H-NMR spectrum of 2 indicated the presence of six tertiary methyl groups, two secondary methyl groups, one trisubstituted vinylic methine ...