Phytochemical investigation of the needles of Abies nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei

Abies nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei (Pinaceae) is a species living in a very small population only in a confined area of Sicily. In this study, the dichloromethane extract of the leaves was analyzed. Apart from three already known metabolites namely dehydroabietic acid; maltol; and rheosmin, previously detected in other species of Abies, a lanostane derivative was isolated. Its chemical structure was elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic methods.