Chemical constituents of non-polar fractions obtained from Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl (Euphorbiaceae), a medicinal plant native from the Brazilian Caatinga biome

Resumo

Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl is a Brazilian medicinal plant from the Caatinga biome which possesses several pharmacological properties. In this paper we describe the identification of compounds from non-polar fractions of the leaves (Hex-Le) and stem-barks (Hex-Sb) from C. quercifolius. Chemical analyses were performed by GC-MS approach. Chemical constituents were identified based on spectral data obtained and by comparison with literature data. Fragmentation profile of the main compounds was proposed and presented in this paper. Hydrocarbons (46.84%), triterpenes (32.60%) and carotenoid derivatives (0.83%) were considered the major constituents of Hex-Le. In contrast, hydrocarbons (41.89%), diterpenes (12.83%) and triterpenes (7.0%) were found in Hex-Sb. Four diterpenes (dehydroabietane, sandaracopimaradiene, kaur-16-ene and 13-methyl-17-norkaur-15-ene) and one triterpene (diploptene) are reported for the first time in the Cnidoscolus genus.