Chemical constituents of Cordia latifolia and their nematicidal activity

Following nematicidal activity‐guided isolation studies on the fruits, bark, and leaves of Cordia latifolia, two new constituents, cordinoic acid (=11‐oxours‐12‐ene‐23,28‐dioic acid; 1 ) and cordicilin (=2‐{(E)‐3‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enoyl]oxy}‐3‐4‐hydroxy‐3‐(stearoyloxy)phenyl]propanoic acid; 2 ) were isolated from the stem and leaves, respectively, together with nine known compounds, namely cordioic and cordifolic acid from the stem bark, latifolicin A–D and rosmarinic acid from the fruits, and cordinol and cordicinol from the leaves. Their structures were determined by means of spectroscopic analyses including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR techniques. The nematicidal activities of these constituents were determined against the root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Hundred percent mortality was caused by all of these after 72 h at a 0.125% concentration. Compound 1 and cordioic acid were most active and caused 100% mortality after 24 h at a 0.50% concentration. Furthermore, compound 2 , the ester of rosemarinic acid, was found to be more active than the free acid.