Delevoyin C, a tetranortriterpenoid from Entandrophragma delevoyi Dulcie A. Mulholland a, *, Sianne L. Schwikkard a , Peter Sandor b , Jean M. Nuzillard c a Natural Products Research Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Natal, Durban, 4041, South Africa b NMR Applications Laboratory, Varian GmbH, Alsfelder Strasse 3. D-64289, Darmstadt, Germany c Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Universite de Reims, UPRESA 6013, Bat. 18, Moulin de la Housse, 51097-Reims Cedex 2, France Received 5 May 1999; accepted 20 October 1999 Abstract The hexane extract of the bark of Entandrophragma delevoyi has yielded a novel tetranortriterpenoid, delevoyin C. This compound contains a cyclobutanyl ring incorporating C-19 and a cycloheptanyl ring C including C-30. Gedunin and 11b- Acetoxygedunin were isolated from the hexane extract of the wood. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Entandrophragma delevoyi; Meliaceae; Tetranortriterpenoid; Delevoyin C; 11b-acetoxygedunin; Gedunin 1. Introduction Entandrophragma delevoyi (de Wild) is a member of the Meliaceae family occurring in Zambia. Plant ma- terial was collected from a tree growing on the Kafue Flats and a herbarium specimen was deposited in the Forest Herbarium, Oxford (C Fagg 365). Previous work on the wood of this species has yielded gedunin and sitosterol (Adesida & Taylor, 1967). The hexane extract of the bark of the same specimen has pre- viously yielded azadirone, 14b,15b-epoxyazadirone, 6a- acetoxyazadirone, 6a-acetoxy-14b,15b-epoxyazadirone, 6a-acetoxy-14b,15b-epoxyazadiradione, 3,4-secotiru- calla-4(28),7,24-triene-3,21-dioic acid, delevoyin A (3,4-secotirucalla-4(28),7,24-trien-3-oic acid) and dele- voyin B (6a- acetoxykihadalactone) (Mulholland, Osborne, Roberts & Taylor, 1994). The hexane extract of the bark has now yielded a further triterpenoid derivative, delevoyin C. The hexane extract of the wood has yielded the known limonoid, 11b-acetoxy- gedunin which has been reported once previously from Carapa guyanensis (Connolly, Mc Crindle, Overton & Feeney, 1966), and the common limonoid, gedunin. Phytochemistry 53 (2000) 465±468 0031-9422/00/$ - see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0031-9422(99)00546-4 www.elsevier.com/locate/phytochem * Corresponding author. Tel.: +27-31-260-3090; fax: +27-31-260- 3091. E-mail address: mulholld@scifs1.und.ac.za (D.A. Mulholland).