Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 29 (2001) 325–327 Pinoresinol and syringaresinol: two lignans from Avicennia germinans (Avicenniaceae) Hazel Sharp a , David Thomas a , Felicity Currie a , Colin Bright a , Zahid Latif a , Satyajit D. Sarker b, *, Robert J. Nash c a MolecularNature Limited, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3EB, UK b Pharmaceutical Sciences Section, School of Pharmacy, The Robert Gordon University, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FR, Scotland, UK c Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3EB, UK Received 20 December 1999; accepted 2 April 2000 Keywords: Avicennia germinans; Avicenniaceae; Verbenaceae; Lignan; Pinoresinol; Syringaresinol; Chemotaxonomy 1. Subject and source Avicennia germinans (L.) L. (Family: Avicenniaceae alt. Verbenaceae), commonly known as ‘‘black mangrove’’ is widely distributed in West Africa, and North and South America (USDA-ARS GRIN database, 1999). Plant material was collected from Costa Rica and supplied by Biotics Limited, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. A voucher specimen (MNL10040) has been retained at the herbarium of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth, UK. 2. Previous work Iridoid glucosides have previously been reported from A. geminans (Fauvel et al., 1999, 1997, 1995; Bousquet-Me  lou and Fauvel, 1998), and from other species of the genus Avicennia (Nass and Rimpler, 1996; Pandey and Garg, 1996; Ko¨nig et al., 1987; Ko¨nig and Rimpler, 1985; Majumdar et al., 1981). Betaines (AdrianRomero *Corresponding author. Tel: +44-1224-262547; fax: +44-1224-262555. E-mail address: s.sarker@rgu.ac.uk (S.D. Sarker). 0305-1978/01/$ - see front matter # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S0305-1978(00)00050-8