Reassessment of the polar fraction of Stachys alopecuros (L.) Benth. subsp. divulsa (Ten.) Grande (Lamiaceae) from the Monti Sibillini National Park: A potential source of bioactive compounds

BACKGROUND The phytochemical analysis of Stachys alopecuros subsp. divulsa, an endemic Italian species, has been recently reported and has showed the presence of 8-O-acetylharpagide (2), harpagide (3), allobetonicoside (4), and 4¢-O-galactopyranosyl-teuhircoside (5). In this paper, an in deep study of its glycosidic fraction with the aim to widen the knowledge on its secondary metabolites content is reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chromatographic techniques were used for the isolation of constituents while spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques were applied for the structures elucidation. RESULTS Besides the known constituents, all of them reconfirmed, ajugoside (1), reptoside (6) and 6-O-acetyl-ajugol (7) were also identified among the iridoids while the phenolic components resulted to be chlorogenic acid (8), b-arbutin (9), verbascoside (10), and stachysoside A (11), instead. CONCLUSION The iridoid pattern of S. alopecuros subsp. divulsa has been expanded with the identification of not previously reported compounds as well as for the phenolic fraction. Except for the reconfirmed verbascoside (10), the other phenolic compounds were recognized for the first time in the studied species. The complete NMR assignment of compound (1) by means of bidimensional techniques is reported, and both the chemotaxonomic and pharmacological relevance of the isolated compounds is largely discussed.