Tumour inhibitory plants. New alkaloids from the bark of Erythrophleum chlorostachys (Leguminosae)

Abstract

A new alkaloid, norerythrostachamine (1), and its rearrangement product, norerythrostachamide (2), from extracts of E. chlorostachys bark, are shown to be the ester and amide of 2-methylaminoethanol and 3β,7β-dihydroxycass-13(18)-en-16,19-dioic acid 16-methyl ester already known from borohydride reduction of erythrophlamic acid. A second isomeric pair, norcassamidine (3) and norcassamidide (4), derived from 2-methylaminoethanol and cassamidic acid, are described as well as a new amide, norcassaidide (9, formed from the same amine and cassaidic acid. The known alkaloids cassaidine (6), cassamidine (7) and norerythrophlamide (8) were also isolated.