A new bioactive diterpene skeleton resulting from a backbone rearrangement is described. Activity of the rearranged product and several derivatives against Herpes Virus Simplex type 2 is reported.

An overview of the chemistry and biology of the diterpene natural products known as the furanocembranoids, pseudopteranes, and gersolanes is provided; 85 references are cited.

A newly reErranged 2(3.20)abeotaxane diterpenoid with a unique 6/1016 skeleton was isolated from the bark of the Chillese yew, Taxus mairei. The structure was established as being 7fi,13(M-diacetoxy-2or,5a,10fi-trihydrexy-9keto-2(3 -20)abeotaxane on the basis of 1-D and 2-D N"M data. The relative stereochemistry was defined from the results of a NOESY experiment. This is the first reported isol...

Copaiba oleoresins are exuded from the trunks of trees of the Copaifera species (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae). This oleoresin is a solution of diterpenoids, especially, mono- and di-acids, solubilized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The sesquiterpenes and diterpenes (labdane, clerodane and kaurane skeletons) are different for each Copaifera species and have been linked to several reported biolog...

Seven new labdane-type diterpenoids, vitextrifolins A-G (1-7), along with eight previously reported analogues, were isolated from the fruits of Vitex trifolia. The structures of 1-7 were elucidated by spectroscopic data interpretation. The isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (A549, HCT116, HL-60, and ZR-75-30), but all were inactive (IC(50) < 5 μg...

Natural products play a significant role in human health in relation to the prevention and treatment of inflammatory conditions. Among them, terpenoids (also referred to as terpenes), are the largest and most widespread class of secondary metabolites. They are found in higher plants, mosses, liverworts, algae and lichens, and also in insects, microbes or marine organisms. Some terpenoids have b...

Diterpene resin acids, together with monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, are the most prominent defence chemicals in conifers. These compounds belong to the large group of structurally diverse terpenoids formed by enzymes known as terpenoid synthases. CYPs (cytochrome P450-dependent mono-oxygenases) can further increase the structural diversity of these terpenoids. While most terpenoids are charac...

In flammability assessment, the terpene effect is usually studied using their total or subgroup content, missing, therefore, information that could be provided by molecules themselves. this study, specific role of terpenes on leaf was sought comparing different levels identification—total, (i.e. mono-, sesqui-, and diterpene), single compound—as well as interactions with fuel moisture content (...