Chemical constituents from Strychnos cathayensis

Secostrychnosin (1), a new secoiridoid, as well as seven compounds never before isolated from nature: 4-tert-butyl-2-oxazolidinone (2), 3-acetoxyindole (3), indole-2-carboxylic acid (4), benzocaine (5), 3-acetylindole (6), butylparaben (7) and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (8), together with fifty other known compounds, have been isolated from the stem of Strychnos cathayensis. These compounds include twenty-three alkaloids, twelve benzenoids, four steroids, three flavonoids, three iridoids, two triterpenoids, two secoiridoids, two fatty acids, one lignan, one acetophenone, one coumarin, one chromane, one tetraterpenoid, one tannin, and one organic acid. The structures of these compounds were determined by means of spectral analyses.