Rhaposerine and rhaserolide, new sesquiterpene lactones fromRhaponticum serratuloides

Two new crystalline guaianolides,viz., rhaposerine and rhaserolide, were isolated from an ethanolic extract of the above-ground part of the plantRhaponticum serratuloides by column chromatography along with sesquiterpene lactones,viz., centaurepensin and acroptilin, which have been found in other plants. The chemical structures of the title lactones were established by¹H and¹³C NMR spectroscopy and 2D¹H−¹H (COSY) and¹³C−¹H (COSY and COLOC) NMR spectroscopy. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2010–2014, October, 1999.     

QSAR and mode of action studies of insecticidal ecdysone agonists

A series of our SAR and QSAR studies of synthetic moulting hormone agonists, dibenzoylhydrazines (DBH), exhibiting insecticidal/larvicidal activity are reviewed in this article. We prepared a number of analogues where various substituents are introduced into the two benzene rings of DBH and measured their biological activity using various biological systems. Larvicidal activity was against larvae of the rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis and the moulting hormone activity was in terms of the stimulation of N-acetylglucosamine incorporation in a cultured integument system of the same insect species. Binding affinity to the ecdysone receptor was assayed with intact Sf-9 cell lines in which the ADME processes are negligible as well as using receptor proteins obtained by in vitro translation of the responsible cDNA cloned from cell-free preparation of integumentary tissue of C. suppressalis. Variations in the biological activity indices were either correlated between two types of activity or correlated using physicochemical molecular and substituent parameters in terms of the classical QSAR. Comparisons among correlations and with recently revealed X-ray crystallographic findings clearly indicate the physicochemical meaning of parameters significant in the correlation equations to help understanding molecular mechanism of the moulting hormonal action.     

Epoxidation of sesquiterpene lactones tourneforin and ludartin

Epoxy derivatives of the sesquiterpene lactones ludartin and tourneforin were synthesized. Their structures were elucidated using spectral data and x-ray structure analysis.     

Advances in the chemistry of sesquiterpene lactones

The paper gives a review of the chemistry of natural sesquiterpene lactones.     

Dimeric sesquiterpene lactones : Structure of absinthin

Absinthin, a constituent of $\text{A}$. $\text{absinthium}$, has been given structure $\text{2}$.     

Fragmentation of sesquiterpene lactones related to leucomisin

The mass spectra of seven sesquiterpene lactones — leucomisin, austricin, parishin B, parishin C, matricarin, artelin, and artelin diacetate — have been studied. It has been shown that the presence of the conjugated bonds C(1)=C(10), C(2)=0, and C(3)=C(4), and also C(5)=C(6), stabilizes M⁺, and the main fragmentation process is that of the splitting out of the lactone ring. The presence of hydroxy substituents at C(3) and C(8) of the guaiane system does not change the stability of M⁺ under electron impact. The directions of fragmentation have been confirmed by an analysis of spectra obtained by the metastable defocussing of daughter ions and by measuring the accurate masses of the main peaks of the fragmentary ions.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 96–101, January–February, 1987.     

Conformational analysis of sesquiterpene lactones of germacrane type

The structure of 1(10)Z,4Z-germacranolides was studied by the method of molecular mechanics. Possible conformers, the probability of their existence, and barriers to conformational transitions were determined. For Part 1, see Ref. 1. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 268–271, February, 1997.     

Two novel sesquiterpene lactones,cytotoxic vernolide-A and -B,from Vernonia cinerea

Bioassay-directed fractionation of an ethanolic extract of stems of Vernonia cinerea has resulted in the isolation of two novel sesquiterpene lactones, vernolide-A and -B. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Biological evaluation showed that vernolide-A demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against human KB, DLD-1, NCI-661, and Hela tumor cell lines (ED(50)=0.02, 0.05, 0.53, 0.04 microg/ml for KB, DLD-1, NCI-661, and Hela, respectively); vernolide-B had marginal cytoxicity (ED(50)=3.78, 5.88, 6.42 microg/ml for KB, NCI-661, and Hela, respectively).     

Structure of new sesquiterpene lactones from Inula germanica

Summary It has been established that the substance isolated previously fromInula germanica L. is a mixture of two new sesquiterpene lactones: germanin A and germanin B.On the basis of chemical reactions and a study of IR, UV, NMR, and mass spectra, structures (I) and (XVI), respectively, are proposed for germanin A and germanin B.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Medicinal Plants. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 578–589, September–October, 1974.     

Antimalarial activity of sesquiterpene lactones from Vernonia cinerea

Two new sesquiterpene lactones, vernolides C and D as well as six known ones were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of an aqueous extract from Vernonia cinerea. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Among the known sesquiterpene lactones, three of them were described in this plant for the first time. In vitro antiplasmodial evaluation showed that the three major compounds 1, 7 and 8 were active against chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain (W2) with IC(50) 3.9, 3.7 and 3.5 microM, respectively.     

Structure of new sesquiterpene lactones from Inula germanica

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - It has been established that the substance isolated previously fromInula germanica L. is a mixture of two new sesquiterpene lactones: germanin A and germanin B. On...     

Gaigranin and gaigrandin — New sesquiterpene lactones fromGaillardia grandiflora

Two new sesquiterpene lactones — gaigranin and gaigrandin — have been isolated from the epigeal part ofGaillardia grandiflora, and their structures have been established on the basis of spectral (IR, PMR,¹³C NMR, and mass) characteristics and x-ray structural analysis.Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 79–85, January–February, 1995. Original article submitted October 7, 1994.     

Grandulin and grandicin—New sesquiterpene lactones fromInula grandis

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -     

Review of the analytical techniques for sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene lactones

In this paper the analytical techniques of about the last 2 decades for sesquiterpenes including their lactones are reviewed. For sesquiterpenes, methods like GC, GC-EI-MS, GC-CI-MS, GC-MS-MS, GC-FT-IR, GC-UV, GC-AES, 13C-NMR, PY-GC-MS, HPLC, HPLC-TSP, SFE, SFC, SFC-UV are available, GC combined with MS is the most widespread. Sesquiterpene lactones can be analysed by HPLC, HPLC-TSP, HPLC-APCI, HPLC-ESI, HPLC-PB, HPLC-NMR, SFC, MEKC, GC, GC-MS, TLC and OPLC. Here HPLC is the method of choice. The usefulness of the individual methods are briefly discussed.     

Spatial structures of the sesquiterpene germacrane lactones tanachin and tamirin

An x-ray investigation has been made of the sesquiterpene lactones tanachin and tamarin: diffractometer, CuK-radiation, 845 and 981 reflections, respectively, direct method, R factors 0.064 and 0.065. The conformations of both molecules are boat-boat with configurations of the¹D₁₄ and¹⁵D₅ types.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodynkh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 198–204, March–April, 1989.     

Synthetic transformations of sesquiterpene lactones. Controllable synthesis of 11,13-dihydroisoalantolactone azides and 13-(1,2,3-triazolyl)eudesmanolides based on sesquiterpene lactones

Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds - Modification of eudesmane-type lactones isoalantolactone and 4,15-epoxyisoalantolactone was carried out at the active methylene group. The reaction of...     

Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of the sesquiterpene lactones cnicin and onopordopicrin

The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of chloroform extracts from the weeds Centaurea tweediei and C. diffusa, and the main sesquiterpene lactones isolated from these species, onopordopicrin and cnicin, respectively, were assayed. Results show that the chloroform extracts from both Centaurea species possess antibacterial activities against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Remarkable antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was also measured. Both the extracts and the purified sesquiterpene lactones show high cytotoxicity against human-derived macrophages. Despite this cytotoxicity, C. diffusa chloroform extract and cnicin are attractive candidates for evaluation as antibiotics in topical preparations against skin-associated pathogens.