TWO NEW METABOLITES; 7 beta -OH-UZARIGENIN AND 7 beta -OH-ODOROSIDE-H; THROUGH BIOTRANSFORMATION OF UZARIGENIN AND ODOROSIDE-H

The two new cardenolide metabolites, 7 beta -OH-uzarigenin (1M) and 7 beta -OH-odoroside-H (2M), were obtained through the biotransformation of uzarigenin (1) and odoroside-H (2). Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated from the air-dried roots of Nerium oleander L. The plant, belonging to family Apocynaceae, was collected in October 2010 from Mansoura University garden in Egypt. The methylene chloride extract of N. Oleander roots was chromatographed using silica gel column, gradually eluted by petroleum ether: Ethyl acetate with increasing proportions of EtOAc. Further purification by repeated crystallization from hot methanol afforded both compounds. The biological transformation was acheived by Cunninghamella echinulata NRRL 1382 with different incubation periods. The structures of the isolated compounds and the newly assigned metabolites were identified using extensive studies; ( super( 1)H, super( 13)C, HSQC, HMQC, super( 1)H- super( 1)H COSY, and super( 1)H- super( 13)C HMBC), mass spectral analysis (EI and ESI/MS), and IR.