Simaroubaceous plants

Z0345 Ohmoto, T., Y. 1. Sung, K. Koife, and T. Nikaido. Effect of alkaloids of simaroubaceous plants on the local blood flow rate. Shoyakuga Zasshi... 

Many quassinoids were isolated from Simaroubaceous plant to demonstrated antitumor activity, however, these compounds have not been subjected to a test yet for their antitumor promoting effects. 

Forty-five quassinoids isolated from the three Simaroubaceous plants, Brucea javanica, Brucea antidysenterica and Picrasma ailanthoides, and fourteen isolated from Ailanthus altissima were tested for Okano et al. [106-108] for their inhibitory activities using a short-term in vitro assay of the EBV-EA activation induced by TP A in Raji cells. 

Examination of the bitter principles of Simaroubaceous plants, in particular Ailanthus altissima Swingle led to the discovery in 1983 of an intriguing quassinoid, Shinjulactone C (341), possessing a modified picrasane skeleton [139]. 

ABSTRACT This review covers various bioactive quassinoids in Simaroubaceous plants, which show cytotoxic antitumor, anti-tumor-promoter (= inhibitor against TPA-induced EBV-EA activation), anti-HIV, anti-tuberculosis, insect antifeedant, and other biological activities. Stability of quassinoids, the preparation of their derivatives, and their biological activities are also discussed. 

In a previous paper [1], we reviewed the isolation of quassinoids, alkaloids, and fatty acids from Simaroubaceous plants during the period 1972-1988 and discussed their biological activities, such as antitumor, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory agents as well as insect antifeedants, amoebicides, and herbicides. This review will add new quassinoids isolated from Simaroubaceous plants from 1988 onwards and their biological activities, for example, antitumor, anti-tumor-promotor (= inhibitor against TPA-induced EBV-EA activation), anti-HIV, anti-tuberculosis, and insect antifeedant activities. Furthermore, the stability of quassinoids, lower activities of degradation products, and the synthesis of fluorinated quassinoids are also described. 

In vitro evaluation of anti-tuberculosis activity was conducted for fifty-six quassinoids isolated in our laboratory from the Simaroubaceous plants A. altissima (10 compounds), B. antidysenterica (16 compounds), P. ailanthoides (14 compounds), and B.javanica (16 compounds), as shown in Table 15. Of the compounds tested, shinjulactone-K (119)... 

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