Amarinin: A New Growth Inhibitor from Luffa amara

A growth inhibitor, amarinin was isolated from the seeds ofLuffa amara. Its formula has been established as 2-deoxy cucurbitacinB by spectrometric analysis coupled with chemical degradation.Amarinin inhibited the growth of the second leaf sheath of riceboth in the absence and presence of GA₃. ¹Present address: Department of Chemistry, Arambag College,P.O. Arambag, Hooghly, West Bengal, India ²Present address: Department of Chemistry, Calcutta University,92, A.P.C. Road, Calcutta 700 009 (Received March 15, 1985; Accepted May 1, 1986)