Structurally diverse diterpenoids with eight carbon skeletons from Rhododendron micranthum and their antinociceptive effects

Abstract

Seventeen diterpenoids (1-17), classified into eight diverse carbon skeleton types, grayanane (1, 2, and 12), micranthane (3, 4, and 13), mollane (5-7 and 14), 1,5-seco-grayanane (8), kalmane (9-11), 1,5-seco-kalmane (15), A-homo-B-nor-ent-kaurane (16), and leucothane (17), respectively, were isolated from the leaves extract of Rhododendron micranthum. Among them, diterpenoids 1-9 are new compounds and their structures were elucidated via extensive spectroscopic methods, quantum chemical calculations including the ¹³C NMR-DP4+ analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Micranthanol A (1) represents the first example of a 5αH,9αH-grayanane diterpenoid and a 6-hydroxy-6,10-epoxygrayanane diterpenoid, and micranthanone B (3) is the first 6,10-epoxymicranthane and the 5α-hydroxy-micranthane diterpenoids. 14-epi-Mollanol A (5) and mollanol B (6) represent the first examples of 14β-hydroxymollane diterpenoids. It is the first time to report mollane, 1,5-seco-kalmane, and A-homo-B-nor-ent-kaurane type diterpenoids from Rhododendron micranthum. All the seventeen diterpenoids showed significant antinociceptive activities at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg, and it is the first time to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of 1,5-seco-kalmane diterpenoid. Among them, compounds 3, 11, 14, and 15 exhibited significant antinociceptive activities even at a lower dose of 1.0 mg/kg. A preliminary structure-activity relationship for the antinociceptive effects of diterpenoids 1-17 is discussed, which provided a new basis to develop novel potent analgesics.

Keywords: Analgesics; Diterpenoids; Rhododendron micranthum Turcz. (Ericaceae); Structure elucidation; Structure-activity relationship.