ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents from the fruits of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl.. METHODS: Compounds were isolated by a combination of various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over macroporous resin, Sephadex LH-20 and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by physiochemical properties and spectral analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen compounds were isolated and identified as 3, 4, α-trihydroxy-methyl phenylpropionate (1), protocatechaldehyde (2), vanillic acid (3), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (4), p-hydroxylbenzylalcohol (5), p-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol (6), 2-(4-methoxyphenyl) acetaldehyde (7), 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetic acid (8), 4-hydroxyphenethyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetate (9), p-coumatic acid (10), methyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetate (11), 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (12), 1, 2, 4-benzentriol (13), 1-(4- hydroxyphenyl)-2, 3 -dihydroxypropan-1-one(14), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (15), and isovanillic acid (16). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1-3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 14 are isolated from this plant for the first time.