Abstract. This paper presents a review on kaurane diterpenes, covering various aspects of chemical and microbiological transformations of native ent-kaurenoic acid, namely, its reactions via COOH groups, double bonds and rearrangements of the carbon skeleton that lead to a wide range of natural and synthetic derivatives with potential biologic activities and can present convenient synthons for the syntheses of other native ent-kauranes. Ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid 1 is one of the intermediate compounds, which is involved in the biosynthesis of diverse ent-kaurane diterpenes, including gibberellins, a group of growth phyto-hormones. Therefore, it is not surprising that many ent-kauranes and their derivatives act as growth regulators in plants [25].
KeywordsThe broad spectrum of presented by the ent-kaurane diterpenes biological activities has motivated countless studies of structural modifi cations of the skeleton, aiming at obtaining the new potentially bioactive substances. These structural transformations have been achieved either chemically or microbiologically, by using microorganism cultures.