Work

Discovery of a New Triterpenoid and Chemical Profiling of Mudjala (Barringtonia acutangula), an Australian Indigenous Medicinal Plant

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Mudjala bark, prepared from Barringtonia acutangula, is an Australian Aboriginal medicine traditionally used for pain relief, and previous studies have associated its activity with triterpenoid-rich fractions. However, the low-molecular-weight triterpenoids, which were major chromatographic constituents in these fractions, remained chemically unresolved. In this study, we define the aglycone-rich triterpenoid profile of Australian Mudjala bark and resolve its dominant inseparable aglycone mixture. The two major chromatographic isomeric acidic triterpenes could not be separated directly by reversed-phase HPLC, but isolation and hydrolysis of their corresponding C-28 glucosides enabled their assignment as bartogenic acid (1) and trachelosperogenin A (2). Overall, thirteen triterpenoids were assigned, including one new acylated barringtogenol C-type aglycone (5) and twelve known compounds (1–4, 6–13). The profile comprises three main chemical domains: 24,28-dioic acid aglycones and C-28 glucosides, acylated barringtogenol C-type oleananes, and common pentacyclic triterpene acids. These findings establish a compound-level chemical framework for the previously bioactive low-molecular-weight Mudjala fraction and support future quantitative and biological investigation.

Source: Molecules

DOI: 10.3390/molecules31193388