A methanolic extract of Morella salicifolia bark was fractionated by various chromatographic techniques yielding six previously unknown cyclic diarylheptanoids, namely, 7-hydroxymyricanol 5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), juglanin B 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), 16-hydroxyjuglanin B 17-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), myricanone 5-O-β-d-gluco-pranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), neomyricanone 5-O-β-d-glucopranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), and myricanone 17-O-α-l-arabino-furanosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (6), respectively, together with 10 known cyclic diarylheptanoids. The structural diversity of the diarylheptanoid pattern in M. salicifolia resulted from varying glycosidation at C-3, C-5, and C-17 as well as from substitution at C-11 with hydroxy, carbonyl or sulfate groups, respectively. Structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was achieved on the basis of one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as well as high-resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) analyses. The absolute configuration of the glycosides was confirmed after hydrolysis and synthesis of O-(S)-methyl butyrated (SMB) sugar derivatives by comparison of their ¹H-NMR data with those of reference sugars. Additionally, absolute configuration of diarylheptanoid aglycones at C-11 was determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra simulation and comparison with experimental CD spectra after hydrolysis.
Keywords: Morella salicifolia; Myricaceae; diarylheptanoid glycosides; juglanin; myricanol.