ISOLATED LIGNANS OF ARAUCARIA ARAUCANA (MOLINA) K. KOCH PROVIDE WOOD PROTECTION AGAINST ATTACK BY THE XYLOPHAGOUS FUNGUS PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS (JACQ.) P. KUMM
Author
Bravo, Gaston
Torres, Solange
Perez, Claudia
Gonzalez-Ramirez, Mariela
Figueroa, Fabian
Cabrera-Barjas, Gustavo
Aranda, Mario
Tiezzi, Antonio
Gavin, Jose
Paz, Cristian
Becerra, Jose
Abstract
Araucaria araucana (Molina) K. Koch is an evergreen conifer endemic to Southern Chile and it is considered a sacred tree by the originary people Pehuenche. A. araucana is endangered in the red book. The knots wood of A. araucana are resistant to biological degradation, due to producing a high amount of lignans, even after the decomposition of the tree is possible to find its knots in the forest. In the present study the chemical composition of three wood tissue of A. araucana; knotwood, stemwood, and branches were analyzed by HPTLC-MS, GC-MS, and NMR. Three lignans were purified and identified as eudesmin (1), ((1S,2R,3R) 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrona phthalene-2,3-diyl) dimethanol (2) and secoisolarisiresinol (3). Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH and resistance to biodegradation assays were evaluated to extracts from compressed wood zones. Eudesmin was identified as the principal lignan in knots with a 0.5%w/w and outperformed the fungicide Nipacide® P511 in protecting wood against xylophage fungi Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm.