A new embelin from the mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum

One new compound (2) and five known compounds (1, 3-6) have been isolated from the mangrove plant Aegiceras corniculatum collected from the Godavari mangrove forest, India. The structure of the new compound has been established by H and C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectral data as 2,5-didehydroxy-6-methylembelin (2). The known compounds have been characterized as 4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzamide (1), embelin (3), 5-O-ethylembelin (4), 5-O-methylembelin (5) and 4-methoxyresorcinol (6). Compounds 2-5 exhibit moderate antimalarial activity. Embelin (3) shows activity against chloroquine-resistant strains better than against chloroquine-sensitive strains of Plasmodium falciparum.