www.derpharmachemica.com t Available online a Scholars Research Library Der Pharma Chemica, 2015, 7(10):485-489 (http://derpharmachemica.com/archive.html) ISSN 0975-413X CODEN (USA): PCHHAX 485 www.scholarsresearchlibrary.com Chemical constituents of Cycas riuminiana Vincent Antonio S. Ng 1 , Esperanza Maribel G. Agoo 2 , Chien-Chang Shen 3 and Consolacion Y. Ragasa 1,4* 1 Chemistry Department, De La Salle University 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines, 2 Biology Department, De La Salle University 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004, Philippines, 3 National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare, 155-1, Li-Nong St., Sec. 2, Taipei 112, Taiwan 4 Chemistry Department, De La Salle University Science & Technology Complex Leandro V. Locsin Campus, Binan City, Laguna 4024, Philippines _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Chemical investigation of the dichlroromethane extracts of Cycas riuminiana, a plant native to the Philippines, affordedα-tocopherol (1), phytyl fatty acid ester (2),squalene(3),lutein (4), chlorophyll a (5), long chain 1-alkene, and linoleic acid from the leaflets; a mixture of β-sitosterol (6) and stigmasterol (7) from the petiole and rachis, and roots;6 andtriacylglycerol (8) from thesarcotesta; and 6,8, anda mixture of methyl fatty acid ester (9) and β- sitosteryl fatty acid ester (10)from the endotesta. The structure of 1was elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, while those of 2-10were identified by comparison of their NMR data with literature data. Keywords: Cycas riuminiana, Cycadaceae, α-tocopherol,phytyl fatty acid ester, squalene, lutein, chlorophyll a, β- sitosterol, stigmasterol, triacylglycerol, fatty acid methyl ester, β-sitosteryl fatty acid ester _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Cycas resemble palms in morphology and are commonly called sago palm. They are considered as fossil plants though they may have evolved only about 12 million years ago [1]. They are widely distributed in the Tropics [2] where they grow on volcanic, limestone, ultramafic, sandy, or even water-logged soils in grassland and forest habitats [3]. The demand of Cycas species for domestic and international horticultural trade, grassland and forest fires, and conversion of their natural habitats to settlements and other land uses have threatened to varying degrees the wild populations of the genus [4]. Some of these threatened species are C. curranii[5], C. wadei[6] and C. zambalensis as Critically Endangered (CR) [5], C. riuminiana as Endangered (E) [5], and C. saxatilis as Vulnerable (V) [7]. There are no reported chemical and biological activity studies on C. riuminiana. However, a number of studies have been reported on the chemical constituents of other indigenous Philippine Cycas. We earlier reported the chemical constituents of the different parts of C. sancti-lasallei[8-11], C. vespertilio[12, 13], C. zambalensis[14], C. lacrimans[15-17], C. aenigma[18,19], and C. edentata [20,21]. We report herein the isolation of α-tocopherol(1), phytyl fatty acid ester (2),squalene (3),lutein (4), and chlorophyll a (5) from the leaflets; a mixture of β-sitosterol (6) and stigmasterol (7) from the petiole and rachis, and roots;6