Abstract

Araucaria araucana (Molina) K. Koch is an evergreen conifer endemic of Southern Chile and it is considered a sacred tree by the Pehuenche originary people. A. araucana is endangered in the red book. The knots wood of A. araucana are resistant to biological degradation, due to producing a high amount of lignans, even after the decomposition of the tree is possible to find its knots in the forest. In the present study the chemical composition of three wood tissue of A. araucana; knotwood, stemwood, and branches were analyzed by HPTLC-MS, GC-MS, and NMR. Three lignans were purified and identified as eudesmin (1), ((1S,2R,3R) 1,2,3,4tetrahydrona phthalene-2,3-diyl) dimethanol (2) and secoisolarisiresinol (3). Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH and resistance to biodegradation assays were evaluated to extracts from compressed wood zones. Eudesmin was identified as the principal lignan in knots with a 0.5%w/w and outperformed the fungicide Nipacide (R) P511 in protecting wood against xylophage fungi Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm.