Taxonomic studies ofAsarum sensu lato

Fourteen species ofAsarum s. str.,Asiasarum andHeterotropa were studied cytotaxonomically. Their karyotypes and C-banding patterns were examined in detail. The results obtained were different in some important respects from previous reports related to the chromosomes of these plants, and were partially disharmonious with the assumptions presented for the relationships among these genera by some previous workers. Furthermore, it was confirmed thatAsarum s. str. (2n=26) (excludingAsarum leptophyllum),Asiasarum (2n=26),Heterotropa (2n=24) andAsarum leptophyllum (2n=24) are distinct from one another in the karyotype and the C-banding pattern of a few pairs of the small chromosomes in each set. The significance of these small chromosomes in considering the relationships among the plants concerned is discussed.     

Eight flavonol glycosides in Pyrola (pyrolaceae)

As part of a general survey of the flavonoids of Pyrolaceae, the flavonoids of Pyrola virens and P. chlorantha were investigated. Eight flavonol glycosides based upon kaempferol, quercetin and rhamnetin were identified from each of the two species. Two of the glycosides, rhamnetin 3,3′,4′-tri-O-glucoside and rhamnetin 3-O-arabinoside-3′,4′-di-O-glucoside are previously unreported and further, represent an unusual pattern of glycosylation. The similarity of flavonoids and the presence of the unusual substitution pattern supports a conspecific status for the two taxa.     

Wood polyphenols of Eucalyptus polyanthemos

Sixteen major components have been detected in woody tissues of Eucalyptus polyanthemos. The components identified include 2,3- and 4,6-(hexahydroxydiphenoyl)-glucose, a di-(hexahydroxydiphenoyl)-glucose known as pedunculagin, an ellagitannin which appears to be a cyclic di-(hexahydroxydiphenoyl)-diglucose, 3,4,3′-tri-O-methylellagic acid and its 4′-glucoside, 3,4,3′,4′-tetra-O- and 3,3′-di-O-methylellagic acids. A 3,3′-di-O-methylellagic acid glucoside and 2 gallotannins are possibly present in addition to the unidentified ellagitannin D-13. The distribution of these components in the woody tissues is discussed in relation to heartwood formation. The trimethylellagic acid glucoside was also present in the heartwood of other members of the red-box group of eucalypts.     

Der substitutionsspezifische einfluss von chalkonen auf die anthocyanbiosynthese bei Petunia hybrida

The effect of two chalcones, 3,4,2′,4′,6′-pentahydroxy- and the 4, 2 ′,4′,6′ -tetrahydroxy- 3-methoxy-chalcone- 4′-glucoside, on the synthesis of different flower anthocyanins in isolated petals of Petunia hybrida has been investigated. The results show that the synthesis of those anthocyanins, which have the same substitution pattern as the chalcone used was increased. This suggests that the chalcones are incorporated into the anthocyanins concerned. When the chalcones were fed together with acetic acid-[1-¹⁴C], this specific substitution effect was detectable only for the 3,4,2′,4′,6′-pentahydroxy-chalcone-4′-glucoside.     

HEARTWOOD FLAVONOIDS AND THE INFRAGENERIC RELATIONSHIPS OF RHUS (ANACARDIACEAE)

Heartwood flavonoids of 23 taxa of Rhus L. were surveyed in order to assess infrageneric relationships and classification. Fourteen flavonoids and two coumarins were detected in the heartwood extracts. All taxa were characterized by a flavonoid complement consisting of eight 5-deoxyflavonoids involving several aglycone classes (e.g., flavonols, flavones, aurones, chalcones and dihydroflavonols) and the aurone rengasin. None of the 5-hydroxyl analogs of the 5-deoxyflavonoids were detected in the heartwood extracts. Infraspecific flavonoid patterns were uniform in different populations, although the presence of 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone 4′-O-β-glucoside varied in some taxa. Taxa of Rhus subgenus Rhus consistently differed from all taxa of Rhus subgenus Lobadium in lacking glycosides of fisetin, butein and 3′,4′-dihydroxyflavone. The major evolutionary trend in the heartwood flavonoids of Rhus appears to be accumulation of simple mono- or diglucosides. Data from heartwood flavonoids suggest that Rhus be treated as consisting of two subgenera (Rhus and Lobadium) and that subgenus Lobadium be divided into three sections.     

Chalcone glycosides of Antirrhinum majus

Three chalcones have been found in yellow flowers of A. majus, two of which have been identified as chalcononaringenin 4′-glucoside and 3,4,2′,4′,6′-pentahydroxychalcone 4′-glucoside.     

Taxonomic studies ofAsarum sensu lato

The floral vascular anatomy of 12 species representing each ofAsarum s. str.,Asiasarum, Geotaenium, Heterotropa andHexastylis are compared to clarify intergeneric relationships. The five genera have basically similar structures in floral morphology and vasculature, and consistently have a six-carpelled compound ovary and the associated similar placental vasculature. They show, however, a significant difference in the position and the constituent of the “ventral” carpellary bundles in the placental axis betweenAsiasarum-Heterotropa-Hexastylis andAsarum-Geotaenium. InAsiasarum, Heterotropa andHexastylis the ventral bundles of each carpel are basically free and antilocular as expected in the least specialized compound ovary of angiosperms; in contrast, inAsarum andGeotaenium the ventral carpellary bundles are antiseptal and heterogenous (i.e., formed by the lateral fusion of ventral bundles of adjacent carpels). Shared probable apomorphic floral vasculature, as well as shared single style-column, suggests the closest mutual relationships betweenAsarum andGeotaenium. In terms of floral morphology and anatomy,Asiasarum, Heterotropa andHexastylis retain plesiomorphies. Possible chromosomal evolution in the related genera is also discussed.     

Further flavonol glycosides from Anthyllis onobrychioides

The new triglycoside rhamnetin 3-O-β-d-galactopyranoside-3′,4′-di-O-β-d-glucopyranoside has been isolated from the aerial parts of Anthyllis onobrychioides. Two other new flavonol glycosides, rhamnazin 3-O-galactoside and rhamnazin 3-O-galactoside-4′-O-glucoside, were identified but not isolated as pure substances.     

Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic implications of Asarum (Aristolochiaceae) based on ITS and matK sequences

The genus Asarum (Aristolochiaceae) encompasses approximately 120 species from five sections. Taxonomic controversies concerning the genus Asarum and/or its intrageneric classification remain unresolved. In particular, sect. Heterotropa accounts for a large percentage of the genus (80 of 120 species) and is well diverged in the Sino–Japanese Forest subkingdom. Reconstruction of Heterotropa phylogeny and estimation of its divergence times would provide significant insight into the process of species diversity in the Sino–Japanese floristic region. This study encompassed 106 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and matK sequences. Although the matK sequences provided informative results solely for section Geotaenium, phylogenetic trees based on ITS regions yielded a clear result for several sections. Three sections, Asarum, Geotaenium and Asiasarum, were supported as robust monophyletic groups, whereas Heterotropa had low support. Sect. Hexastylis was revealed to be polyphyletic, suggesting taxonomic reconstruction would be needed. Sect. Heterotropa comprises two clades, which correspond to species distribution ranges: mainland China and the island arc from Taiwan to mainland Japan via the Ryukyu Islands. It is notable that the common ancestry of the latter clade in the eastern Asian islands was highly supported, suggesting that the present species diversity of Heterotropa was initially caused by allopatric range fragmentation in East Asia.     

Some reactions of 1,6-di-O-p-tolylsulphonyl-D-mannitol and its derivatives

Nucleophilic displacement of 4,4′-di-O-mesyl-α,α-trehalose hexabenzoate occurred very readily to give, by a double inversion, the thermodynamically more stable 4,4′-di-iodide in 93% yield with overall retention of configuration. Reductive dehalogenation of the 4,4′-di-iodide with hydrazine hydrate—Raney nickel followed by debenzoylation afforded 4,4′-dideoxytrehalose in high, overall yield. Alternatively, treatment of trehalose with sulphuryl chloride afforded 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside, which underwent selective dehalogenation at the secondary positions on treatment with hydrazine hydrate—Raney nickel. Subsequent nucleophilic displacement of the primary chlorine substituents with sodium acetate in N,N-dimethylformamide gave, after deacetylation, 4,4′-dideoxy-α,α-trehalose. Repeated treatment of the 4,4′,6,6′-tetrachlorotrehalose derivative with hydrazine hydrate—Raney nickel gave 4,4′,6,6′-tetradeoxy-α,α-trehalose. An alternative route to the tetradeoxy derivative was via thiocyanate displacement of the 4,4′,6,6′-tetramethanesulphonate. The tetrathiocyanate, formed in poor yield, was desulphurized with Raney nickel to give the tetradeoxytrehalose. Treatment of 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside with methanolic sodium methoxide yielded, initially, 3,6-anhydro-4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl 4,6- dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside which was transformed into the 3,6:3′,6′-dianhydro derivative. Reductive dechlorination of the dianhydride proceeded smoothly to give the 3,6:3′,6′-dianhydride of 4,4′-dideoxytrehalose.     

A new synthesis of cord factors and analogs

Treatment of 6,6′-di-O-trityl-trehalose (1) [2] with benzyl chloride in dioxane followed by acid hydrolysis and chromatography gave the chromatographically pure 2,3,4,2′,3′,4′-hexa-O-benzyl trehalose (2). Compound 2 was converted into the corresponding 6,6′-di-O-methane-sulphonyl derivative 3 in quantitative yield. Treatment of the latter compound with the potassium salts of 4-[p-(hexadecyloxy)-phenyl]butyric acid, corynomycolic acid and mycolic acid from Mycobacterium bovis afforded the corresponding benzylated-6,6′-di-O-acyl esters 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Catalytic hydrogenolysis of 4, 5, and 6 yielded 6,6′-di-O-4-[p-(hexadecyloxy)-phenyl] butyryl-trehalose 7; 6,6′-di-O-corynomycolyl-trehalose 8; and 6,6′-di-O-bovi-mycolyl-trehalose 9 respectively.     

Methylated Chalcones from Bidens torta

Four new natural products, all methylated chalcones, including an acetylated glycoside, were isolated from Bidens torta. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods as okanin 3,4,3′,4′-tetramethyl ether, okanin 3,4,3′-trimethyl ether 4′-glucoside, okanin 4-methyl ether 4′-glucoside and okanin 4-methyl ether 4′-glucoside monoacetate. Okanin 3,4-dimethyl ether 4′-glucoside was also isolated.     

Flavonoids of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

The major flavonoids of Marchantia polymorpha var. polymorpha and aquatica are the 7-O-β-d-glucuronides of apigenin and luteolin, luteolin 3′-O-β-d-glucuronide, luteolin 7,3′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide, and the 7,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronides of apigenin and luteolin. These are accompanied by minor amounts of apigenin, luteolin, luteolin 3′,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide and luteolin 7,3′,4′-tri-O-β-d-glucuronide. All the luteolin di- and triglucuronides except the 3′,4′-di- substituted compound are new natural products.     

Flavonol tetraglycosides from the leaves of Prunus cerasus and P. Avium

Four new flavonol glycosides have been identified from fresh leaves and fruits of sweet and sour cherries (Prunus avium and P. cerasus) as minor flavonoids: quercetin 3-O-rutinosyl-7,3′-O-bisglucoside; two quercetin 3-O-rutinosyl-4′-di-O-glucosides; kaempferol 3-O-rutinosyl-4′-di-O-glucoside.     

The synthesis of 4′,6′-diacetamido-4′,6′-dideoxycellobiose hexa-acetate from lactose

Reaction of methyl 4′,6′-di-O-mesyl-β-lactoside pentabenzoate (8), synthesised via the 4′,6′-O-benzylidene derivative (6), with sodium azide in hexamethylphosphoric triamide gave three products. In addition to the required 4′,6′-diazidocellobioside (9), an elimination product, methyl 4-O-(6-azido-2,3-di-O-benzoyl-4,6-dideoxy-α-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosyl)-2,3,6-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (12), and an unexpected product of interglycosidic cleavage, methyl 2,3,6-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (13), were formed. The origin of the latter product is discussed. The diazide 9 was converted into 4′,6′-diacetamido-4′,6′-dideoxycellobiose hexa-acetate (16) by sequential debenzoylation, catalytic reduction, acetylation, and acetolysis.     

3′,6′-anhydro-6-O-corynomycoloyl trehalose: Synthesis and identification as the impurity in synthetic cord factor preparations

Acylation of 2,3,4,2′,3′,4′-hexa-O-benzyl-6,6′-di-O-methanesulphonyl-α-α-trehalose (1) with a reduced amount of potassium corynomycolate yielded a mixture which consisted mainly of 2,3,4,2′,3′,4′-hexa-O-benzyl-6-O-corynomycoloyl-6′-O-methanesulphonyl-α,α-trehalose (2). Catalytic hydrogenolysis of 2 gave the mono-mesylate 4 which was converted into 3′,6′-anhydro-6-O-corynomycoloyl-α,α-trehalose (5) but treatment with sodium hydride. The structure of 5 was studied by mass-spectroscopy. Compound 5 was found to be identical with the byproduct obtained in the acylation of 6,6′-di-O-p-toluenesulphonyl-α,α-trehalose with potassium corynomycolate.     

Luteolin 3′,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide and luteolin 3′-O-β-d-glucuronide from Lunularia cruciata

Luteolin 3′,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide is the major flavonoid in the liverwort Lunularia cruciata. It is accompanied by small amounts of luteolin 3′-O-β-d-glucuronide. Both are new natural products and the former appears to be a unique example of a 3′,4′-diglycosylated flavonoid. Luteolin 4′-O-β-d-glucuronide was isolated as a hydrolysis product of the diglucuronide.     

Flavonoids and polyacetylenes in Dahlia tenuicaulis

5,7,4′-Trimethoxyflavanone, 5-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavanone, 2′-hydroxy-4,4′,6′-trimeth-oxychalcone, and a new naturally occurring compound, 5,7,4′-trimethoxyflavan-4-ol have been isolated from the leaves of Dahlia tenuicaulis Sorensen. Two chalcones, 4,2′,4′-trihydroxychalcone and 3,2′,4′-trihydroxy-4-methoxychalcone, and 5-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavanone have been isolated from the flower heads. Minute amounts of the polyacetylene 1,3-diacetoxy-tetradeca-4,6-diene-8,10,12-triyne have been found in both leaves and flower heads, whereas 1-acetoxy-tetradeca-4,6-diene-8,10,12-triyne was present only in the flower heads.     

Isoscutellarein and hypolaetin 8-glucuronides from the liverwort Marchantia berteroana

The major flavonoid of Marchantia berteroana is hypolaetin 8-O-β-d-glucuronide. This is accompanied by apigenin and luteolin, isoscutellarein (8-hydroxyapigenin) 8-O-β-d-glucuronide, the 7-O-β-d-glucuronide and -galacturonide of apigenin and luteolin, luteolin 3′-O-β-d-glucuronide and -galacturonide, luteolin 7,3′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide and -galacturonide, luteolin 3′,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide and -galacturonide, luteolin 7,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide, and hypolaetin 8,4′-di-O-β-d-glucuronide. The isoscutellarein and hypolaetin glucuronides, and the galacturonide flavones are all new natural products.     

Biflavones from the leaves of Araucaria excelsa

Eight biflavones have been isolated from the leaf extracts of Araucaria excelsa. 7″-O-Methylamento-flavone, 7,7″-di-O-methylamentoflavone, 4′ or 4″', 7-di-O-methylcupressuflavone, 7,7″,4″'-tri-O-methyl agathisflavone and 7,4′,7″-tri-O-methylamentoflavone are new compounds and are being reported for the first time. The others are 7,7″-di-O-methylagathisflavone,7,4′,7″,4″'-tetra-O-methylamentoflavone and 7,4′,7″,4″'-tetra-O-methyl-cupressuflavone. Mass and NMR spectral studies are used for structural elucidation. In addition, the presence of several other biflavones has been indicated by TLC examination of methylated products.