Chemical constituents of Hypericum punctatum

CHED 363

Megan Janssen, Heather Matta, and Geneive E. Henry, henry@susqu.edu. Department of Chemistry, Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA 17870
There has been widespread interest in the study of the Hypericum genus owing to the diverse range of structural types and biological properties of the chemical constituents of St. John's wort, Hypericum perforatum. Hypericum punctatum is a closely related species that has not previously been the subject of any phytochemical studies. In an effort to compare the natural products found in the two plant species, we have investigated the acetone extract of the aerial parts of H. punctatum and have identified triterpenes and acylphloroglucinol derivatives. The compounds were purified using silica gel column chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography, and their structures were determined on the basis of 2D NMR, IR, and GC-MS analyses.