IDENTIFICATION OF TRITERPENES AND STEROLS FROM PTEROGYNE NITENS (FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE) USING HIGH-RESOLUTION GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

As part of our ongoing bioprospecting studies on secondary metabolites in plants of Cerrado and Atlantic Rain Forest of Sao Paulo State (Brazil), we describe the identification of triterpenes and sterols present in the hexane extracts and foliar epicuticular wax of Pterogyne nitens Tulasne (Fabaccae-Caesalpinioideae) using high resolution gas chromatography. Compounds detected in these extracts include beta-amyrin (1), taraxerol acetate (2), lupenone (3), beta-amlyrenone (4), germanicone (5), campesterol (6), stigmasterol (7), and beta-sitosterol (8). The method reported herein is shown to be a rapid, sensitive and reproducible tool for describing triterpenes and sterols present in non-polar extracts.