Studies on the Chemical Constituents of Thymus serpyllum

Phytochemical investigations on the methanolic extract of Thymus serpyllum resulted in the isolation of 2 new compounds, 3-ketopentatriacontanoic acid (1) and 27-ketotriacontanol (2). The extract also afforded 3 known compounds, 3 β-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid (3), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-sitosterol (4), and dihydroursonic acid (5), detected for the first time from Thymus serpyllum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, while the known compounds were identified on the basis of their spectral data and literature evidence. The hexane and ethyl acetate soluble portions of the methanolic extract showed significant antifungal activity, whereas the chloroform soluble portion and the remaining methanol extract showed moderate activity.