COCHINCHINENIN—A NEW CHALCONE DIMER FROM THE CHINESE DRAGON BLOOD

AIM　To study the active constituents of Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.Chen. in the commercial dragon blood. METHODS　Various column chromatographies with Sephadex L-20 gel, MCI gel and silica gel were employed for the isolation and purification. The structures of compounds were elucidated by spectral analysis. RESULTS　Nine chalcones were isolated from the commercial dragon's blood which was made of D.cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.Chen.. By means of spectral data, they were identified as 1-［5-(2,4,4′-trihydroxydihydrochalconyl)］-1-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(2-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenyl)-propane (1), 2′-methoxysocotrin-5′-ol (2), socotrin-4′-ol (3), 2-methoxy-4,4′-dihydroxydihydrochalcone (4), 2,4,4′-trihydroxy-dihydrochalcone (5), 2,4,4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxydihydrochalcone (6), 2′,4′,4-trihydroxy-chalcone (7), 2-methoxy-4,4′-dihydroxychalcone (8) and 2′-methoxy-4′,4-dihydroxychalcone (9). CONCLUSION　Compound 1 is a new chalcone dimer and named as cochinchinenin. Compounds 2-9 were isolated from D.cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.Chen. for the first time.