Many plants contain ecdysteroids, polyhydroxysteroids with a cis-fused A/B ring junction and 14a-hydroxy-7-ene-6-one system, structurally related with ecdysone, the biosynthetic precursor of the insect moulting hormone.1) These compounds exhibit interesting physiological activities such as regulation of moulting in insects, hormonal functions involve regeneration, metamorphosis, reproduction and differentiation in all arthropods, and antiulcer, antirheumatic, insulin regulation and diuretic or tonic effects in mammals.
2)Among the numerous plants containing phytoecdysteroids, those pertaining to Ajuga genus are unique for the great variety of such compounds produced.3) Species belonging to genus Ajuga have been used as folk medicinal plants as anthelmintic against intestinal disorders, antifungal, hypoglycaemic, antitumor and antimicrobial agents. 4,5) Furthermore, it has also been reported that some species of this genus were especially used as diuretic agents, as a remedy for fever, toothache, dysentery and hypertension. 6) Earlier chemical investigations have led to the isolation of clerodane diterpenoids, 7-9) ecdysteroids, 3,5,10,11) flavonoids, 12) iridoids [13][14][15] and triglycerides.16) The compounds isolated from the genus Ajuga, exert a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological actions such as cytotoxic, anti-mitotic, anti-bacterial, cardiotonic, vasorelaxing, antifungal and antifeedant and insect growth-inhibitions. These facts encouraged us to investigate the chemical constituents of an Ajuga species A. taiwanensis NAKAI ex MURATA (Labiatae) mainly distributed in the Taiwan, Philippines and Ryukyus which has been often used for the treatment of hepatitis and hepatoma in Taiwanese folk medicine.17) The isolation of ajugalide A to D from title plant has recently been reported from our laboratories. In this paper, we now describe the isolation and structural elucidation of one new phytoecdysteroid, ajugalide-E (1) and twenty five known compounds.
Results and DiscussionAjugalide-E (1) was isolated as an optically active, white amorphous solid, mp 210-212°C. The high-resolution fastatom bombardment mass spectrum (HR-FAB-MS) of 1 showed a pseudo molecular ion peak ([MϩH] . These data were consistent with the occurrence of characteristic side chain with g-lactone by similitude with 22-acetylcasterone signals. Additional functionalities included the signal of an olefinic proton at d 6.21 (br s) as well as nine methine protons and seven methylene groups and an acetyl methyl group also supported the basic skeleton of phytoecdysteroid. As shown in Table 1 the 1 H-and 13 C-NMR spectra for compound 1 showed a high analogy with those of 22-acetylcasterone with a cis fused A/B ring junction and 14a-hydroxy-7-ene-6-one skeleton 19) Results of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COSY) and the long-range 13 C-1 H correlation in heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) experiments also confirmed that the planar structure of 1 was the same as 22-acetylcasterone (2). But the differences in...