Aim: To study the chemical constituents of the water-extracts of the pine needles of Pinus massoniana Lamb..
Methods: Pine needles were collected in Xixia country and extracted with boiling water for two times and the water-extracts were concentrated. The crude extract of pine needles was fractionated into four fractions by Et2O, EtOAc and n-BuOH. Various column chromatography with D-101 macroreticular resin, Toyopearl HW-40 and silica gel were employed for the isolation and purification of compounds from the n-BuOH fraction of pine needles. The structures of the compounds were identified by physiochemical properties and spectral analysis (UV, IR, MS, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, DEPT, HMQC, HMBC, etc.).
Results: Four compounds were isolated from the n-BuOH fraction of water-extracts, and their structures were identified as 3-methoxyl-9'-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-4':7,5':8-diepoxyneoligan-4,9-diol (massonianoside E, I), 4,4',8,8',9-pentahydroxyl-3,3'-dimethoxyl-7,9'-monoepoxylignan (II), umbelliferon (III), 4-(4'-hydroxyl-3'-methoxylbenzyl)-2-butanone (IV).
Conclusion: Compound I is a new compound, and compounds II, III and IV were isolated from this plant for the first time.