Phytochemical analysis on the female cone of Araucaria bidwillii Hook.

In this work, the first phytochemical analysis ever performed on a whole cone of Araucaria bidwillii Hook. is presented. This was carried out by means of column chromatography, NMR spectroscopy and MS spectrometry on the female cone, evidencing the presence of forty metabolites, thirty-three of which are primary whilst the remaining are non-volatile secondary. A chemophenetic evaluation was also performed reporting seven new compounds for the species i.e. β-sitosterol (5), 15-agathic acid methyl ester (6), methyl (E)-communate (7), shikimic acid (8), gallic acid (9), p-hydroxy-benzoic acid (10) and quinic acid (11). Throughout this evaluation some important qualitative phytochemical differences among this female cone, its seeds and the few other studied cones of the species comprised in the family, were evidenced. These whole results provide more information on the phytochemistry of this organ and of the species, in general, but also underline the need to perform more studies.