Woodfordin D and oenothein A, trimeric hydrolyzable tannins of macro-ring structure with antitumor activity.

Two new antitumor trimeric hydrolyzable tannins, woodfordin D (5) and oenothein A (13), were isolated from the dried flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa, and their macrocyclic structures, which have a novel constituent unit (woodfordinoyl group) connecting the monomers, have been elucidated on the basis of spectral and chemical evidence. Oenothein A (13) was also isolated from the leaves of Oenothera biennis.