Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Covering: 2001. Previous review: Nat. Prod. Rep., 2002, 19, 494
This review covers the isolation and structure determination of triterpenoids including squalene derivatives,
lanostanes, cycloartanes, dammaranes, euphanes, tirucallanes, tetranortriterpenoids, quassinoids, lupanes, oleananes,
friedelanes, ursanes, hopanes, fernanes, sipholanes, isomalabaricanes, serratanes and saponins. The literature from
January to December 2001 is reviewed and 242 references are cited.
1 Introduction
2 The squalene group
3 The lanostane group
4 The dammarane group
4.1 Tetranortriterpenoids
4.2 Quassinoids
5 The lupane group
6 The oleanane group
7 The ursane group
8 The hopane group
9 Miscellaneous compounds
10 References
1 Introduction
The biological activities of triterpenoids continue to be of
interest. Reviews have appeared on the aphrodisiac properties
of the triterpenoids from Panax ginseng,1 the biological activ-
ities of triterpenoids from liquorice root 2 and antimyco-
bacterial plant terpenoids.3 The anti-tumourogenic properties
of ursolic acid 4 and the possible use of celastrol for the treat-
ment of Alzheimer’s disease 5 further emphasise the biological
importance of triterpenoids. The use of terpenoids, including
triterpenoids, as chemosystematic markers in conifers has been
discussed.6
4.1 Tetranortriterpenoids
Many new limonoids have appeared this year. The three hirtin
derivatives 144–146, from Trichilia pallida, show antifeedant
activity.78 Meliacinolactol 147, limocin C 148 and limocin D
149 are further constituents of Azadirachta indica.79 Further
rearranged limonoids from Harrisonia perforata include
haperforins C2 150, F 151 and G 152.80 Their structures were
complete proton and carbon NMR assignments of several oleanane 238 has been reported from the stem bark of Vitis
oleanane and ursane triterpenoids from Mentha villosa have vinifera.135
been published. 130 Crystal structures have been published Camelliosides A–D are oleanane saponins, from Camellia
for wilforlide A 130 from Trypterygium wilfordii 131 and 3β- japonic, with known genins.136 An X-ray crystal structure analy-
methoxyolean-18-ene (meliacin) from the marine fungus sis of camellenodiol, the genin of camelliosides A and B,
Chaetomium olivaceum. 132 revealed that it is 239 with a 28β- and not an 18β-hydroxyl
The 24,30-dinor-oleanane derivative 236 has been found in group. The structure of the corresponding ketone, camel-
Paeonia delavayi 133 while the 24,28-dinor-compound reman- lendionol, should be revised to 240. Three saponins, one of
gilone D 237 occurs in Physena madagascariensis.134 A 27-nor- which has the new genin gymnemagenol 241, have been isolated
from Gymnema sylvestre.137 A new saponin anemoside B
together with a new oleanane anemonolide 242 have been
reported from Anemone rivularis.138 Fargosides A–E are new
saponins from Holboellia fargesii.139 Fargoside B has a new
genin, the 29-nor-oleanane derivative 243. The new saponin
244, from Terminalia arjunis, also has a new genin.140 Centel-
lasaponin A, from Centella asiatica, has the new genin 245.141
New oleanane saponins that have been assigned trivial names
are listed in Table 1.