Chemical constituents and their biological activities from the roots of diospyros filipendula.

Phytochemical investigation of Diospyros filipendula (Ebenaceae) resulted in the isolation of eighteen compounds. Their structures were identified by analysis of mass spectrometric and spectroscopic (IR, 1 D and 2 D NMR) data. We report three benzoic acid derivatives (1-3), one peptide (4), one coumarin (5), three phthalides (6-8), three steroids (9-11) and seven triterpenes (12-18). Nine compounds (1, 4-8, 10, 17 and 18) are reported from the Ebenaceae family for the first time while the other nine are new to the species D. filipendula. Compounds 7, 17 and 18 showed low to moderate cytotoxicity against NCI-H187 and Vero cell lines while compound 18 showed moderate cytotoxicity against KB cell line. In addition, compounds 17 and 18 showed moderate to significant antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum.