The biosynthesis of the plant antitumor agent, taxol, was studied by feeding radioactive or stable isotope-labeled precursors to cut stems or to inner bark tissue of Taxus brevifolia. The labeled taxol was purified to radiochemical purity and subjected to chemical degradation or was analyzed by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. It was demonstrated that in the plant taxol is synthesized fro...

Two new p-cymene based diphenols (1-2) were isolated from the heartwood of Calocedrus decurrans. Structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR techniques and HRMS. Libocedroquinone (3) was also isolated as a natural product for the first time. A new system of nomenclature is proposed for description of such oligomeric p-cymene derivatives.

CONTEXT Vitex negundo Linn. (Verbenaceae) seeds are pepper substitute and occasionally used as a condiment for edible purposes. The seeds also find use for analgesia, sedation, rheumatism and joint inflammation in folk medicine. OBJECTIVE To isolate and characterize bioactive constituents from V. negundo seeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS The ethanol extract of V. negundo seeds was subjected to r...

The title compound, C20H28O3, known as 'trichodermaerin' [systematic name: (4E)-4,9,15,16,16-penta-methyl-6-oxa-tetra-cyclo-[10.3.1.0(1,10).0(5,9)]hexa-dec-4-ene-7,13-dione], is a diterpene lactone which was isolated from Trichoderma asperellum. The structure has a tetra-cycic 6-5-7-5 ring system, with the cyclo-hexa-none ring adopting a twisted half-chair conformation and the cyclo-pentane rin...

A new dolabellane diterpene glycoside, named squoside A, and three new cycloartane glycosides, named squarrosides V, VI, and VII, have been isolated from the dried aerial parts of Thalictrum squarrosum (Ranunculaceae). Their structures were determined by two dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopic analysis and chemical evidence.

The total synthesis of sculponeatin N, a bioactive polycyclic diterpene isolated from Isodon sculponeatus, is reported. Key features of the synthesis include diastereoselective Nazarov and ring-closing metathesis reactions, and a highly efficient formation of the bicyclo[3.2.1]octane ring system by a reductive radical cyclization.

The title compound, C(25)H(27)N(3)O(8)·C(4)H(8)O(2), has a diterpene skeleton in which the fused cyclo-hexane rings exhibit chair and half-chair conformations. An intra-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed.

The first total synthesis of an anti-leukemic diterpene natural product EBC-329 (1) has been accomplished starting from readily available 6,6-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-2,4-dione (7). An efficient and general approach has been reported for the synthesis of EBC-329 in 13 steps with an overall yield of 10%.

[reaction: see text] The total synthesis of the diterpene hedychilactone B 1 is reported. The exo adduct 4x, the major product of the stepwise [4+2] cycloaddition of the diene 2 and the allenoate 3, has been converted into 1 via 7 steps, among them a key nonconjugative hydrolysis of a gamma-methylene silyl enol ether and an E-selective olefination.

The structure of a new antitumor antibiotic, myrocin C, from a strain of Myrothecium verrucaria was characterized as a pentacyclic pimarane diterpene composed of a gamma-lactol group and a unique cyclopropane ring on the basis of its physico-chemical properties and spectroscopic data as well as a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of its monoacetyl derivative.