New Secondary Metabolites from Croton sparsiflorus

The genus Croton belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae and comprises well over 1300 species growing as trees, shrubs, and herbs in tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres [1]. One of its species is Croton sparsiflorus (syn. C. bonplandianus) which is a shrub growing in sandy clay soil in Asia and South America [2]. It is used as a potent hypotensive agent [3] and for the treatment of a variety of ailments like fever, inflammation, and hypertension [4]. Different extracts of this plant show antibacterial activity [5]. Sifting of the literature revealed that alkaloids, diterpenes, and sterols have previously been reported from this species [6, 7]. The chemotaxonomic and ethnopharmacological importance of the genus Croton prompted us to carry out further phytochemical studies on C. sparsiflorus. As a result, we have isolated a new stereoisomer of O-methyl inositol named as sparsifol (1), and a new proaporphine alkaloid crotsparsidine (2).