SECOIRIDOIDS AND ANTIFUNGAL AROMATIC-ACIDS FROM GENTIANA-ALGIDA

Fractionation of an aqueous acetone extract of the whole herb of Genti ana algida gave one new [2'(o,m-dihydroxybenzyl)sweroside] and five kn own secoiridoids, together with anofinic acid, fomannoxin acid, sitost erol, daucosterol, stigmasterol, oleanolic acid, orientin and gentiano se. The structures were determined by spectral methods and a few chemi cal transformations. Anofinic acid and fomannoxin acid were found to b e active against Cladosporium cucumerinum, a plant pathogenic fungus. Preliminary structure-activity studies indicated that the presence of carboxylic moieties in these acids was presumably a precondition for a ctivity, whereas their methyl esters, inactive to the fungus, were act ive against the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. The chemotaxo nomic significance of the isolates is discussed briefly.