Triterpenes esterified with fatty acid isolated from Pouteria macahensis T.D. Penn (Sapotaceae) leaves

Resumo

Pouteria macahensis is an endemic species of the Atlantic Rainforest, which occurs in restricted regions. The present work presents the phytochemical study of the extract of this species’ leaves, collected in Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil. Dry and ground leaves were submitted to extraction with hexane, followed by extraction with ethanol. The ethanolic extract study allowed for the identification of six fatty acid esters of pentacyclic triterpenes: a mixture of 3β-erythrodiol behenate and erucate; 3β-erythrodiol palmitoleicoate; and the mixture of 3β-betulinic acid behenate, erucate, and palmitoleicoate. The structural identifications were based on the spectroscopic techniques of IR, 1H, and 13C NMR (1D and 2D), as well as the esters of fatty acids, after the reaction of transesterification through gas chromatography analysis. The presence of these compounds can be associated with the localization of the individual species in the Atlantic Rainforest, in a sandy terrain and in a region with constant sunshine.