Compositions of triterpene alcohols of seeds and mature plants of family cucurbitaceae

Abstract

Abstract Compositions of the triterpene alcohol fractions of the unsaponifiable lipids obtained from 28 seed and mature plant [aerial parts (leaves and stems), pericarp of the fruits, and roots] of 13 genera of the family Cucurbitaceae were determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) on an OV‐17 glass capillary column. Among the 14 tetracyclic and pentacyclic triterpene alcohols identified, isomultiflorenol was found to be the major component for most of the seed materials. The abundance of this triterpene suggests that it may be a taxonomical marker of the seeds of Cucurbitaceae since only a few higher plants are known to contain isomultiflorenol. The mature plant materials of the Cucurbitaceae, on the other hand, were shown to contain either one or some of the common triterpene alcohols such as α ‐ and β ‐amyrins, cycloartenol and 24‐methylenecycloartanol as the major triterpene constituents.