Vestitol, phytoalexins

Russell, G.B. et al., Vestitol a phytoalexin with insect feeding-deterrent activity, J. Chem. Ecol, 4, 571, 1978. 

Many flavonoids are known to be phytoalexins, antiviral agents, and to serve as antiinflammatory and antitumor compounds. Several isoflavones have estrogenic activity in mammals (70). (-)-Vestitol and sativan, isoflavans from Lotus species, are phytoalexins. 3R(-)-Vestitol from the resistant pasture legume Lotus pedunculatus, has been demonstrated to be a feeding deterrent... 

Sativan, vestitol, 4-methoxy-maacklaln, lsovestltol, and l808atlvan were not detected in callus cultures derived from legumes that normally produce them. These phytoalexins may have been present at very low levels or were not elicited by mercuric chloride. 

In the first work to implicate phytoalexins in feeding-deterrent activity of plants, Russell et al. [12.] found that 3R-(-)-vestitol and sativan from Lotus pendunculatus leaf extracts were major deterrents for Costelytra zealandica larvae. Furthermore pastures containing as little as 20% Lotus pendunculatus were relatively free of this insect pest. 

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