Study on the chemical composition of urena lobata growing in Viet Nam

Abstract

Urena lobata L. is used in Vietnamese traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The roots are used to treat rheumatism, dysentery, poor digestion, flu, tonsils, malaria, asthma, and goiter. The flowers are used to treat chickenpox, fever, and mental disorders. The branches, leaves or whole trees are used to treat injuries, bruises, rheumatism, mastitis, and bites. In this study, phytochemical investigation of the n-hexane and ethyl acetate extract of leaves and twigs of Urena lobata L. led to the isolation of β-sitosterol (1), β-sitosterol3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 2-acetylamino-3-phenylpropyl 2-benzoylamino-3-phenylpropanoate (3), quercetin (4), and trans-tiliroside (5). Their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic methods, including MS, 1D-, 2D- NMR, and by comparing their spectral data with those reported in previous papers. Compounds 3 and 5 were isolated for the first time from Urena lobata L.