Chemical Constituents of Canarium subulatum and Their Anti-herpetic and DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Properties

A methanol extract prepared from the bark of Canarium subulatum Guillaumin (Burseraceae) showed significant anti-herpetic activity. Chemical investigation of this plant extract resulted in the isolation of nine compounds which included β -amyrin (1), (-)-cubebin (2), scopoletin (3), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (4), 3,3 ¢ -di-O-methylellagic acid-4 ¢ -O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (5), 3,3 ¢ -di-O-methylellagic acid-4 ¢ -O-β-D-gluco-pyranoside (6), 3-O-methylellagic acid-4 ¢ -O-α-L-arabinofuranoside (7), scopolin (8) and 3-O-methylellagic acid-4 ¢ -O-β-D-xylopyranoside (9) . The structures of these compounds were determined mainly through analysis of 1H and 13C NMR and MS data. All of the isolates were evaluated for anti-herpetic and DPPH free radical scavenging properties. β -Amyrin (1) and ( - )-cubebin (2) showed moderate anti-herpetic activity, whereas 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (4), 3,3 ¢ -di-O-methylellagic acid-4 ¢ -O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (5) exhibited recognizable DPPH free radical scavenging potential. This study is the first report on the chemical and biological properties of C. subulatum.