Cucurbitacins of Colocynthis vulgaris

The methanolic extract of the fruits of Colocynthis vulgaris on acidic hydrolysis afforded in addition to cucurbitacin I and J a new cucurbitacin designated cucurbitacin T whose structure was elucidated as (24 S )-16,24-anhydro-25-methoxy-2,16α,20β,24-tetrahydroxy-3,11,22-trioxocucurbita-1,5-diene by spectroscopic methods. The biosynthetic significance of the co-occurrence of cucurbitacins I, J and T in C. vulgaris is discussed.