Phytochemical analysis of the labdanum-poor Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus (Viv.) Greuter et Burdet growing in central Italy

• Cistus creticus ssp. eriocephalus is a labdanum poor subspecies of the genus Cistus.
• Several phenolic compounds were identified in methanol extract using HPLC-MSn.
• A new natural product (27) was isolated and structurally elucidated.
• The hydrodistilled essential oil contained fatty acids but not labdane diterpenes.

Phenolic constituents and essential oil from the aerial parts of Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus (Viv.) Greuter et Burdet growing in central Italy were analysed by HPLC-MSn and GC–MS, respectively. Furthermore, six constituents were isolated by semipreparative HPLC from the methanol extract and their structures were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR measurements as well as MS spectra. Isolated compounds were one new natural product, i.e. the shikimic acid ester 3,5-diihydroxy-4-(O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-cyclohex-1-en-1-(O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-ester (27), and six flavonoid glycosides, namely quercetin-3-O-β-D glucopyranoside (16), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (17), tricetin-4′-O-β-D glucopyranoside (24), tricetin-4′-O-β-D rutinoside (21), 3′-methoxy-quercetin-3-O-(3-β-Dglucopyranosyl-2-rhamnopyranosil-4-glucopyranosyl-2-rhamnopyranosil)-glucoside (25) and 3′,4′dimethoxyquercetin-3-O-rhamnopyranoside (26). GC–MS analysis of the essential oil highlighted the occurrence of aliphatic compounds, mainly fatty acids, whereas labdane-type compounds were very scant. Our results showed that C. creticus subsp. eriocephalus has a different chemical profile with respect to the other subspecies due to the lack of labdane derivatives. On the other hand, this subspecies contains several phenolic constituents like ellagitannins, gallotannins and flavonoids, some of which can be of chemotaxonomic value.

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