NEW ALIPHATIC ESTER, β-SITOSTEROL DIGLUCOSIDE AND VESICARIA BIFLAVONES FROM THE SEEDS OF RUMEX VESICARIUS L.

Rumex vesicalius L. (Polygonaceae) is an annual, monoecious, glabrous, pale green herb cultivated as a leafy vegetable in south western Asia and northern Africa. Its seeds are prescribed as a refrigerant, laxa- tive, antidote for scorpion venom and to cure dysentery and liver diseases. Phytochemical investigation of a methanolic extract of the seeds of R. vesicarius resulted in the isolation of a new aliphatic ester n-heptacosanyl n-hexanoate (2), a steroidal diglucoside stigmasta-5-en-3-ol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosido-(4--->1")-O-β-D-glu- copyranoside (3) and two bioflavonoids characterized as (2a,3a-trans)-3a(β),5a,7a,3'a,4'a-pentahydroxyfla- vanolyl-(8a-2')-5,7,3'-trihydroxy-4'-methoxy-8-n-but-3"-enyl-flavanone (4) and 5,7,3',4',5'-pentahydroxy- 8-(cis-1" α,2"β-dihydroxyhept-4"-enyl-7"-oic acid)-flavanoyl-(2'--8a)-5a,7a,3'a,5'a-tetrahydroxy-4'a- methoxyflavanone (5) together with stigmasterol (1). The structures of all the isolated phytoconstituents have been established on the basis of spectral data analysis and chemical reactions.