Triumfettamide and Triumfettoside Ic, Two Ceramides and Other Secondary Metabolites from the Stems of Wild Triumfetta cordifolia A. Rich. (Tiliaceae) by Louis Pergaud Sandjo* a ) b ), Paul Hannewald c ), Mehdi Yemloul d ), Gilbert Kirsch b ), and Bonaventure Tchaleu Ngadjui a ) a )Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Yaounde ´ I, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde ´, Cameroon (e-mail: plsandjo@yahoo.fr) b ) Laboratoire d)Inge ´nierie Mole ´culaire et Biochimie Pharmacologique, Institut Jean Barriol, University Paul Verlaine-Metz, 1Bld Arago, F-57070 Metz c ) Laboratoire de Spectrome ´trie de Masse et de Chimie Laser, Institut Jean Barriol, University Paul Verlaine-Metz, 1Bld Arago, F-57070 Metz d ) Laboratoire de Me ´thodologie RMN, Institut Jean Barriol, Univerity Henri Poincare ´, Faculty of Science, P.O. Box 239, F-54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex Two new ceramides, triumfettamide (1) and triumfettoside Ic (2), characterized as (2R,6Z)-2- hydroxy-N-[(2S,3S,4R)-1,3,4-trihydroxyhexacosan-2-yl]heptadec-6-enamide and (2R)-N-{(1S,2R,3E,6Z, 9Z,12Z,15Z)-1-[(b-d-glucopyranosyloxy)methyl]-2-hydroxyheneicosa-3,6,9,12,15-pentaen-1-yl}-2-hydroxy- tetradecanamide, respectively, were isolated from the stems of Triumfetta cordifolia A. Rich. besides eight known secondary metabolites identified as heptadecanoic acid, b-sitosterol glucopyranoside, friedelin, lupeol, betulin, maslinic acid, 2-hydroxyoleanolic acid and the mixture of stigmasterol and b- sitosterol. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods as well as HR- MALDI-FT-ICR-MS analysis, chemical transformation, and by comparison of their physical and spectral data with those reported in the literature and with authentic specimens for some known compounds. Five pentacyclic triterpenoids, friedelin, lupeol, betulin, maslinic acid, and 2-hydroxyoleanolic acid, have been isolated from Triumfetta genus for the first time. Introduction. – Triumfetta cordifolia A. Rich. is localized in the tropical Africa and it is a shrub which grows up to 5 m [1]. In Central Africa, its crushed stems are used to treat wounds [2] and aqueous decoction of the leaves is employed as laxative [3]. Aqueous extract of leaves and stems are used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery in East Africa [4]. In Cameroon, this species is a wild plant; however, some tribes grow it as foodstuff. There is no previous chemical study on T.cordifolia reported in the literature. Phytochemical studies of other Tiliaceae species and the importance of T. cordifolia in traditional medicine prompted us to investigate this plant. In the course of this work, we have isolated and characterized two new ceramides, triumfettamide (1) and triumfettoside Ic (2), besides eight known compounds. We herein report the isolation and structural elucidation of the two new ceramides based on spectroscopic methods. Among the isolated compounds, pentacyclic triterpenoids have not been yet reported in Triumfetta genus. Previous biological studies showed that maslinic acid and the oxidized derivative of betulin (betulinic acid) have anti-HIV-1 properties [5]. Helvetica Chimica Acta – Vol. 91 (2008) 1326 # 2008 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich