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We screened more than 60 Malaysian plants against two species of insects and found that Melicope subunifoliolata (Stapf) T.G. Hartley (Rutaceae) showed strong feeding deterrent activity against Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Curculionidae) and very good larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera). One anti-insect compound, meliternatin (3,5-dimethoxy-3′,4′,6,7-bismethylendioxyflavone) ( 6 ) and six other minor polyoxygenated flavones were isolated from M. subunifoliolata .

The leaves of Comptonella microcarpa have yielded one alkaloid, dictamnine, and four known polyoxygenated flavonoids, meliternatin, 3,5,8-trimethoxy-6,7-3',4'-dimethylenedioxyflavone, 7-(3-methylbut-2-enyloxy)-3,5,8-trimethoxy-3', 4'-methylenedioxyflavone (3), 7-hydroxy-3,5,8-trimethoxy-3', 4'methylenedioxyflavone. In addition, two new flavonoids were found whose structures were established on the basis of their spectral data as 7-hydroxy-3,5,6,8-tetramethoxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavone (1) and 7-(3-methylbut-2-enyloxy)-3,5,6,8-tetramethoxy-3', 4'-methylenedioxyflavone (2).

The alkaloid evolitrine, the flavone meliternatin and a new flavonoid, 3,7-dihydroxy,5,6-dimethoxy,3′,4′-methylenedioxyflavone were obtained from the root bark of Zieridum ignambiensis .

The following substances were isolated from the leaves of Melicope indica : N -methylatanine dictamnine, evolitrine, meliternatin, melibentin and a new flavonoid which was shown to be 3,5,8-trimethoxy-6,7: 3′,4′-dimethylenedioxyflavone by its spectroscopic properties.

The investigation of the leaves of Melicope triphylla resulted in the isolation of two furoquinoline alkaloids, skimmianine, kokusagenine and five known flavones, meliternin, melisimplexin, melibentin, meliternatin 3,5,8-trimethoxy-6,7; 3′,4′-dimethylenedioxyflavone and a new flavone, melicophyllin. The latter was shown to be 3,5,8,3′,4′-pentamethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxyflavone from its spectroscopic properties. Three of these flavones were found to possess anti-platelet aggregation activity at 100 μ/ml (in vitro).

From the leaves of Melicope octandva (F. Muell.) Druce were isolated multiflorenol, β-sitosterol, melisimplexin, meliternatin and 'octandrenolone' (6-acetyl-2,2,8,8-tetramethyl-2H,8H-benzo[l,2-b:3,4-b']dipyran-5-ol), each in small yield. The main constituents of the bark were multiflorenol and meliternatin; small amounts of β-sitosterol, glutinol, globulol, melisimplexin and octandrenolonewere also isolated. The wood gave a small yield of β-sitosterol.