ABIETANE, LABDANE, AND PIMARANE DITERPENOIDS FROM THE PULP OF Torreya nucifera

摘要

Torreya nucifera is an evergreen coniferous tree, widely distributed in Japan, Korea, and People's Republic of China. Its seeds exhibit significant insecticidal activity. The fruits of this evergreen are widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of tapeworm infestation in Korea and to induce abortion in Japan, but most chemical studies of T. nucifera have focused on its leaves and wood. A number of sesquiterpenoids, labdane and abietane diterpenoids, ligans, and flavonoids were identified as active secondary metabolites [1-8]. T. nucifera is a Taxaceae plant endemic to Korea, Japan, and China. In order to compare its constituents with those of Taxus spp. and to understand their taxonomic relationship, we investigated the chemical composition of Torreya nucifera. Five diterpenoids were isolated for the first time from the pulp of the title plant, including one labdane diterpenoid, two abietane diterpenoids, and two pimarane-type diterpenoids. Their structures were established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectrascopic analysis. We report herein the isolation and structure characterization of these diterpenoids and detailed the ~1H and ~(13)C NMR data of compounds 1-5.