Digging Deep for New Compounds from the Compass Plant, Silphium laciniatum

Abstract

The compass plant, Silphium laciniatum, is an iconic perennial plant of the North American tallgrass prairie. The plants of the tallgrass prairie historically have been subjected to a number of biological and environmental stresses. Among the adaptations developed by S. laciniatum is a large deep taproot. An investigation of the secondary metabolites found in the root of a S. laciniatum specimen has led to the identification of 15 new terpenoids (3-8, 10-17, and 22), which were screened for cytotoxic activity in the NCI-H460 human large-cell lung carcinoma cell line.

Triterpenoids

“…15 Four derivatives, silphasqualols A 2-D 5, have been found in the compass plant Silphium laciniatum. 16 A compound from cultures of the basidiomycete Antrodiella albocinnamomea apparently has the non-standard structure 6. 17 Saponaceolides Q 7, R 8 and S 9 are further constituents of the European mushroom Tricholoma terreum.…”

Scaling approach to microbial interactions in soil across three bioenergy cropping systems

“…Two forb species, Rudbeckia hirta and S. laciniatum, also had a main effect on the fungal community richness. Silphium laciniatum has an unusually deep taproot; this unique physiology may be contributing to its disproportionate impact on the fungal community structure (Weaver, 1958;Williams et al, 2015). Rudbeckia hirta has a consistent negative impact on fungal community richness independent of nitrogen fertilization.…”