New pyranonaphthoquinone and pyranonaphthohydroquinone from the roots of Pentas longiflora.

Several quinone type compounds were isolated from the hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate extracts of the roots of Pentas longiflora. The hexane extract afforded two new compounds, [(3alpha,3'alpha,4beta,4'beta)-3,3']-dimethoxy-cis-[4,4'-bis(3,4,5,10-tetrahydro-1H-naphtho[2,3-c]pyran)]-5,5',10,10'-tetraone (1) and cis-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydromollugin (2), together with six known compounds, namely, pentalongin, mollugin, trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydromollugin, methyl-2,3-epoxy-3-prenyl-1,4-naphthoquinone-2-carboxylate, tectoquinone, and 3-hydroxymollugin. From the dichloromethane extract were isolated the three known compounds 3-methoxymollugin, methyl-3-prenyl-1,4-naphthoquinone-2-carboxylate, and scopoletin, while the ethyl acetate extract afforded the known 2-methoxy-3-methylanthraquinone.