NOVEL CYTOTOXIC RING-A SECO-CYCLOARTANE TRITERPENES FROM GARDENIA CORONARIA AND G. SOOTEPENSIS

Abstract Coronalolide methyl ester ( 1 ), coronalolide ( 2 ), and coronalolic acid ( 3 ) were isolated from the leaves and/or stems of Gardenia coronaria . A further compound, methyl coronalolate acetate (4), was purified from the stems after methylation. The novel compounds 1–4 have the rare ring-A seco -cycloartane carbon skeleton and their structures were assigned on the basis of spectral data and molecular modeling, as well as X-ray crystallography performed on 1. Compounds 1 and 2 were also isolated from the leaves of Gardenia sootepensis and showed broad cytotoxic activity when evaluated against a panel of human cancer cell lines.