Clutia lanceolata is a medicinal plant
native
to Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa and to the Arabian Peninsula. It
is used traditionally in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of diabetes.
Previous phytochemical analysis of this species has been limited to
the identification of methylthiocoumarins. Further work has led to
isolation of 19 new diterpenoids in three structural classes. Their
structures were established by HRMS and by a range of NMR techniques
(1H, 13C, COSY, NOESY, HSQC, HMBC), with confirmation
for some examples by X-ray crystallography. NOESY and 1H–1H NMR coupling constants gave the relative stereochemical
configurations and conformational information, with absolute configurations
being established through X-ray crystallography. One example closely
related to the known hypoglycemic compound saudin (found in C. richardiana and also in C. lanceolata) and one with a different core tetracycle were found to enhance
strongly the glucose-triggered release of insulin from murine pancreatic
islets. Biosynthetic proposals for the three groups of new diterpenoids
by alternative cyclization of a common precursor are put forward.
Lanceolide P (16) is proposed as a lead compound for
further development for the treatment of diabetes.