title: Nematocidal activity of picrodendrins against a species of diplogastridae.
abstract: To develop parasiticides, the nematocidal activity of 22 picrotoxane terpenoids, picrodendrins isolated from the Euphorbiaceae plant Picrodendron baccatum (L.) KLUG et URBAN, was measured using a species of Diplogastridae (Nematoda). Picrodendrin P displayed the most potent nematocidal activity with a minimum lethal concentration (MLC) value of 4.4 x 10(-3) M. The nematocidal activity of picrodendrin P was 9-fold more potent than that of kainic acid (4.0 x 10(-2) M) and santonin (4.0 x 10(-2) M) and 6-fold more potent than that of diethylcarbamazine citrate (3.0 x 10(-2) M). Thus, picrodendrin P may eventually be used as a leading parasiticide. In light of the relationship between the structure of picrodendrins and their nematocidal activities, potent nematocidal activity was found to require the following elements within the picrotoxane skeleton: the gamma-lactone that bridges C-3 and C-5, the epoxide group that bridges between C-6 and C-8, a cis-OCH3 group and a trans-CH2OH group related to carbonyl at alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone ring (C-18), and the absence of 4- and 8-hydroxyl groups. These results are the first demonstration of nematocidal activity for these terpenes and thus are important in furthering our understanding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nikaido
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D019685:Rosales / Q000737:chemistry*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012717:Sesquiterpenes