Antimycobacterial activity of phorbol esters from the fruits of Sapium indicum.

Three new phorbol esters, 12-(2-N-methylaminobenzoyl)-4beta,5,20-trideoxyphorbol-13-acetate (1), 12-(2-N-methylaminobenzoyl)-4alpha,5,20-trideoxyphorbol-13-acetate (2), and 12-(2-N-methylaminobenzoyl)-4alpha, 20-dideoxy-5-hydroxyphorbol-13-acetate (6), together with six known compounds (3-5 and 7-9), were isolated from the fruits of Sapium indicum. The chemical structures of 1, 2, and 6 were elucidated by analysis of their spectroscopic data. Compounds 1-3, 5, and 7-9 exhibited antimycobacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) between 3.12 and 200 microg/mL, but compounds 4 and 6 were inactive (MIC >200 microg/mL).