Aislacion de 4-nerolidilcatecol y el estudio fitoquimico de las especies Lepianthes peltatum (L.) Raf. y Lepianthes umbellatum (L.) Raf. (Piperaceae) de Puerto Rico cultivadas in vitro

The aromatic shrubs Lepianthes peltatum (L.) Raf. (baquina cerrada) and Lepianthes umbellatum (L.) Raf. (baquina abierta) (Piperaceae) are widespread in humid areas and along roads in Puerto Rico. Their most common applications in traditional medicine are as diuretics and emollients, L. peltatum for its potential to dissolve kidney stones. However, their essential oils have scarcely been studied. In a study by Mejia, of L. peltatum the volatile essential oils from leaves and roots were analyzed by GC/MS and were shown to contain a major compound (31% and 80%, respectively) tentatively identified as 4-nerolidylcatechol. Essential oils from leaves were rich in sesquiterpenoids and fatty acids, while those from roots were rich in sesquiterpenoids and hydrocarbons. The scarcity of studies of L. umbellatum motivated us to conduct this study to define the chemical composition of this species and to identify similarities and differences between the natural products present in both Lepianthes species.;A yellow oil of 4-nerolidylcatechol was obtained by TLC separation and full characterization of this compound has been done by ;In vitro culture of both Lepianthes species permitted the determination of the chemical composition of essential oils from the roots and leaves of 8-week-old plantlets. The major component in both organs of L. peltatum was 4-nerolidilcatecol (17% and 36%, respectively), while in L. umbellatum it was trans asarone (15% and 36%, respectively).