Synthesis of the natural product prattinin A and some new derivatives has been achieved using abietic acid. The final products and a selection of intermediates were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against three human pathogenic bacteria: , , and . The results showed that the antibacterial activity varies depending on the chemical structure of the compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTaiwaniaquinoids are a unique family of diterpenoids predominantly isolated from Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata. Previously, we evaluated the antiproliferative effect of several synthetic taiwaniaquinoids against human lung (A-549), colon (T-84), and breast (MCF-7) tumor cell lines. Herein, we report the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of the most potent compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPterolobirin H (), a cassane diterpene isolated from the roots of Pterolobium macropterum, exhibits important anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. However, its relatively complex tetracyclic structure makes it difficult to obtain by chemical synthesis, thus limiting the studies of its biological activities. Therefore, we present here a short route to obtain a rational simplification of pterolobirin H () and some intermediates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSynthesis of the rearranged abietane diterpenes pygmaeocins C and D, viridoquinone, saprorthoquinone, and 1-deoxyviroxocine has been successfully achieved. The anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities of selected orthoquinonic compounds , , , and , as well as pygmaeocin C (), were evaluated for the first time. The antitumor properties were assessed using three cancer cell lines: HT29 colon cancer cells, Hep G2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and B16-F10 murine melanoma cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe acid treatment of 6,7-seco-abietane dialdehydes gives, in high yield, the corresponding derivatives with the 4a-methyltetrahydrofluorene skeleton of taiwaniaquinoids. A mechanism involving the elimination of formic acid from the cyclic aldol intermediate is proposed here. This process can be postulated as a new biogenetic pathway from abietane diterpenes to taiwaniaquinoids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new strategy for the semisynthesis of the aromatic cassane-type diterpene taepeenin F () is reported. The introduction of the methyl group at C-14, characteristic of the target compound, was achieved via dienone , easily prepared from abietic acid (), the major compound in renewable rosin. Biological assays of selected compounds are reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA set of thirteen cassane-type diterpenes was synthesized and an expedient synthetic route was used to evaluate 14-desmethyl analogs of the most active tested cassane. The anti-inflammatory activities of these 13 compounds were evaluated on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cell line by inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production, some of them reaching 100% NO inhibition after 72 h of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn expeditious route to obtaining cassane-type furan diterpenes starting from (+)-sclareolide, an inexpensive commercially available natural lactone, has been achieved by using a solvent-free Diels-Alder cycloaddition and an unprecedented decarboxylative dienone-phenol rearrangement as key steps. Its applicability is showcased by the first synthesis of (5α)-vouacapane-8(14),9(11)-diene. The synthesis, which requires no protecting group, is efficient and atom- and step-economical (10 steps, 20% global).
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