Triterpenoids from the Latex ofEuphorbia caudicifolia

Abstract

Euphorbia caudicifolia Haines (Euphorbiaceae) is a short shrub growing mainly in the dry regions of India and Pakistan. Its latex is used in the folk medicine as purgative, rubefacient, and expectorant, while the root is antispasmodic (1, 2). A literature survey shows that terpenoidal constituents have so far been reported from various parts (3,4). We now report the results of studies on the fresh and undried latex, with the isolation of two further cyclopropane triterpenes 1 and 2 which have not been reported previously from this species. Compounds 1 and 2 were identified as cyclotrichosantol and cycloeucalenol, respectively, by physical and spectroscopic data. This is only the second report of the natural occurrence of compound 1 following earlier isolation from Trichosantes palmata (5).The fresh latex (1 kg) was collected from Karachi, dissolved in acetone (11), and the coagulated residue was filtered. The filtrate was kept overnight in the cold whereupon a thick crystallizate settled out. The crystals were recrystallized from moist acetone, and then subjected to column chromatography over silica gel, eluting with a mixture of hexane and chloroform. The eluate obtained from hexane: chloroform (80:20) yielded compound! {m.p. 141-142°C; Ref. (5) m.p. 143-144°C; [a]D: +41°; Ref. (5)[a]0 +42°}; yield: 80mg. Compound 2 was obtained from hexane : chloroform (75 :25) {m.p. 138°C; Ref. (6) m.p. 138-139°C; [a]0: + 44.5°, Ref. (5, 6) [aID: + 45°}; yield: 120 mg.