Triterpenoid quinonemethides

Gunatilaka, A. A. L. Triterpenoid quinonemethide and related compound (celastroloids). In Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products Hertz, W. Kirby, G. W. Moore, R. E. Steglich, W. Tamm, C., Eds. Springer-Verlag New York, 1996 Vol. 67, 1-123. 

Dirsch, V. M. Kiemer, A. K. Wagner, H. Vollmar, A. M. The triterpenoid quinonemethide pristimerin inhibits induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase in murine macrophages. Eur. J. Pharm. 1997, 336, 211-217. 

In the course of these research programmes, many characteristic bioactive compounds have been reported. Polyester sesquiterpenes and pyridine-sesquiterpene alkaloids with insect antifeedant or insecticidal properties have been isolated from some species and recently sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids with immunosuppressive or antitumoral activities have also been described. Diterpene triepoxides with potent antileukemic and immunosupressive activities and triterpenoid quinonemethides, named as celastroloids , with antibiotic and cytostatic activities, have been isolated from species of the Celastraceae family. 

The triterpenoid quinonemethides constitute a group of unsaturated and oxygenated D A-friedo- or-oleananes, and in nature these pigments are found restricted to the Celastraceae. They are considered to be indicators of the family and Bruning and Wagner [6] coined the general name celastroloids for this class of compounds. 

A. AX. Gunatilaka Triterpenoid Quinonemethides and Eelated Compounds (Celastroloids)... 

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