Styryl-lactones from the stem bark of Goniothalamus arvensis

The fractionation of the methanolic extract of Goniothalamus arvensis (Annonaceae) stem bark led to the isolation of two novel styryl-lactones, arvensin and (+)-2-epi-altholactone. The structures of these compounds, which belong to the furano-pyrone group, were established on the basis of mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, as well as simple chemical derivatization. The relative and absolute configurations of the compounds are discussed. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.