Novel Sesquiterpene Skeletons by Multiple Wagner-Meerwein Rearrangements of a Longipinane-1,9-diol Derivative.

The tricyclic sesquiterpene (1,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11)-7,8-diangeloyloxylongipinan-1,9-diol, or rasteviol (), underwent multiple Wagner-Meerwein molecular rearrangements and several hydride shifts when treated with EtO-BF to generate the six new compounds (1,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11)-7,8-diangeloyloxy-1,9-epoxyjiquilpane (), (1,3,4,5,7,8,9,11)-8-angeloyloxy-1,7-epoxyzamor-10(14)-ene (), (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)-7,8-diangeloyloxy-6,9-epoxyjanitziane (), (4,5,7,8,9,10,11)-7,8-diangeloyloxy-9-hydroxyjiquilp-3(15)-ene (), (2,3,5,7,8,10,11)-7,8-diangeloyloxyiratzian-9-one (), and (2,3,5,10,11)-8-angeloyloxyiratzi-7-en-9-one (), of which , , , and possess new hydrocarbon skeletons. Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR in combination with single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of derivatives , , , and , which allowed confirmation of their absolute configurations by means of the Flack and Hooft parameters. In addition, some reaction mechanism information was gained from deuterium labeling experiments.

Absolute configuration of cembrane diterpenoids from Bursera multijuga.

The stems of Bursera multijuga afforded (-)-(1S,3E,7R,8R,11E)-7,8-epoxycembra-3,11-dien-1-ol (1) and its acetate 2, together with cembrene A (3), nephthenol (4), and cembrenol (5). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and X-ray diffraction. The conformational preference of flexible 1 was studied by molecular modeling at the DFT B3LYP/DGDZVP level of theory.

A new bisabolene from Stevia tomentosa.

The new sesquiterpene (1R,2R,3R,6R,7S)-1-acetoxy-2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrobisabolene (3) together with ten known terpenes and three known flavonoids were isolated from the aerial parts and from the roots of Stevia tomentosa. The structure of 3 follows from spectral studies, the relative chirality at C-3 follows from 1H NMR coupling constants comparison with the corresponding calculated values obtained by applying a generalized Karplus-type relationship to the dihedral angles of model compounds, and the absolute configuration is assumed in analogy to known (2R,3R,6R,7S)-2,3-epoxy-2,3-dihydrobisabolen-1-one (2).

Absolute configuration of podophyllotoxin related lignans from Bursera fagaroides using vibrational circular dichroism.

The ethanol extract from the dried exudate of Bursera fagaroides (Burseraceae) showed significant cytotoxic activity in the HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma) test system. The extract provided four podophyllotoxin related lignans, identified as (7'R,8R,8'R)-(-)-deoxypodophyllotoxin (3), (7'R,8R,8'R)-(-)-morelensin (4), (8R,8'R)-(-)-yatein (5), and (8R,8'R)-(-)-5'-desmethoxyyatein (6), whose spectroscopic and chiroptical properties were compared with those of (7R,7'R,8R,8'R)-(-)-podophyllotoxin (1) and its acetyl derivative (2). Their absolute configurations were assigned by comparison of the vibrational circular dichroism spectra of 1 and 3 with those obtained by density functional theory calculations.

Antifeedant and cytotoxic activity of longipinane derivatives.

The polyoxygenated longipinane derivatives 1- 8 were tested as antifeedant compounds against the herbivorous insects Spodoptera littoralis, Rhopalosiphum padi, and Myzus persicae. Compounds 1-3 and 8 exhibited significant antifeedant activity against S. littoralis and M.

Oxygenated verticillene derivatives from Bursera suntui.

Medium polarity fractions of the hexane extracts of the stems of Bursera suntui afforded six previously known (1-6) and four hitherto unknown verticillane derivatives: (1S,3Z,7S,8S,11S,12S)-(+)-7,8-epoxyverticill-3-en-12,20-diol (7), (1S,3Z,7S,8S,11S,12S)-(+)-7,8-epoxyverticill-3-en-12,20-diol 20-acetate (8), (1S,3Z,7S,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,8(19)-dien-7,12,20-triol (9), and (1S,3Z,7S,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,8(19)-dien-7,12,20-triol 20-acetate (10). Acetylation of 9 and 10 yielded (1S,3Z,7S,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,8(19)-dien-7,12,20-triol 7,20-diacetate (11), while hydrolysis of 8 gave 7. The structures and stereochemistry of 7-11 were established by spectroscopic analyses, particularly by 1D and 2D NMR spectra and HRESIMS.

Absolute configuration of verticillane diterpenoids by vibrational circular dichroism.

Good agreement between theoretical and experimental vibrational circular dichroism curves of (1S,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3E,7E-dien-12-ol (1) established the absolute configuration of this natural diterpene isolated from Bursera suntui. Molecular modeling of 1 was carried out using the Monte Carlo protocol followed by geometry optimization at the B3LYP 6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The 12-membered ring of 1 was found in a single preferred chair-chair-chair-chair conformation.

Verticillane derivatives from Bursera suntui and Bursera kerberi.

The stems of Bursera suntui afforded two new verticillane derivatives, (1S,3Z,7E,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,7-dien-12,20-diol (1) and (1S,3Z,7E,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,7-dien-12,20-diol 20-acetate (2), together with (1S,3E,7E,11R)-(+)-verticilla-3,7,12(18)-triene (3), (1R,3E,7E,11R,12Z)-(+)-verticilla-3,7,12-triene (4), (1R,7E,11Z)-(-)-verticilla-4(20),7,11-triene (5), and (1S,3E,7E,11S,12S)-(+)-verticilla-3,7-dien-12-ol (6). Compounds 3 and 4 are new enantiomerically pure natural products whose racemic mixtures, derived from synthetic approaches toward the taxane skeleton, were obtained previously. The stems of Bursera kerberi afforded the new (1S,3E,7E,11S,12R)-(+)-verticilla-3,7-dien-12-ol (7) together with 3-5.