Author(s)

Norihisa Kusumoto, Nobuhiro Aburai, Tatsuya Ashitani, Koetsu Takahashi, Ken-ichi Kimura

Institute of Wood Technology, Akita Prefectural University, Noshiro, Japan.
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan.

Eight naturally occurring diterpenoids, including 6,7-dehydroroyleanone, taxodal, taxodione, salvinolone, 14-deoxycoleon U, 5,6-dehydrosugiol, sandaracopimaric acid, and xanthoperol were isolated from Taxodium distichum cones and their biological properties evaluated in vitro against six different biological screening targets. Taxodione showed potent activity against a number of different targets, and salvinolone and 14-deoxycoleon U showed remarkable inhibitory activities against prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) and 17α-hydroxylase/C17,20-lyase (CYP17), respectively. These three compounds also showed strong cytotoxic activities against HL60 and K562 human leukemia cells. The structure-activity relationships of these compounds have also been considered. The findings in this study could lead to enhanced pharmacological prospects for the natural abietane-type diterpenoids consisting in conifer cones.

Abietane Diterpenoid; Conifer Cone; Antibacterial Activity; 17α-Hydroxylase/C17, 20-Lyase; Prolyl Oligopeptidase; Cytotoxicity

Kusumoto, N. , Aburai, N. , Ashitani, T. , Takahashi, K. and Kimura, K. (2014) Pharmacological Prospects of Oxygenated Abietane-Type Diterpenoids from Taxodium distichum Cones. Advances in Biological Chemistry, 4, 109-115. doi: 10.4236/abc.2014.42015.