Bullatalicinone, a new potent bioactive acetogenin, and squamocin from annona bullata (Annonaceae)

Abstract Further fractionation of the EtOH extract of the bark of Annona bullata Rich. (Annonaceae) has led to the isolation of a new nonadjacent bis‐tetrahydrofuran acetogenin, bullatalicinone, and the known adjacent bis‐tetrahydrofuran acetogenin, squamocin. These two compounds showed potent and selective cytotoxicities for certain human tumor cell lines. Their structures have been elucidated by chemical and spectral methods. Bullatalicinone is the methylketo‐lactone derivative of bullatalicin which we found previously in this plant.