Jennifer K. Schilling

Cytotoxic Activity and Essential Oil Composition of Leaves and Berries of Juniperus excelsa.

ABSTRACT The composition of the water-distilled essential oils of the berries and leaves of Juniperus excelsa. M. Bieb. were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components in the berries of J. excelsa., accounting for 56.1% of the oil, were determined as α-pinene (34.0%), cedrol (12.3%), L-verbenol (5.4%), and D-verbenol (4.4%) while in the leaves of J. excelsa., accounting for 63.2% of the oil, were found to be α-pinen (29.7%), cedrol (25.3%), α-muurolene (4.4%), and 3-carene (3.8%). Cytotoxic and antimicrobial potential of the berries and leaves of J. excelsa. were investigated.

Cytotoxic Activity of Some Anatolian Salvia Extracts and Isolated Abietane Diterpenoids

Abstract Salvia hypargeia. Fisch. et Mey. (Lamiaceae) root extract, among 16 Salvia. extracts, showed the highest activity against the human ovarian cancer cell line. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of this plant extract has yielded four abietane-type diterpenes [5,6-didehydro-7-hydroxytaxodone (1), 14-deoxycoleon U (= 6-hydroxysalvinolone) (2), demethylcryptojaponol (3), and salvicanaric acid (4)] two triterpenes (lupeol and lupeol-3-acetate), and a fatty acid mixture consisting mainly of palmitic acid (51.6%) and palmitoleic acid (6.4%). Compounds 2 and 3 were found to be active against A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line with IC50 values of 3.9 and 1.2 μ g/mL, respectively, and the fatty acid composition was the most active part of the extract (IC50 = 0.6 μ g/mL).

Synthesis and bioactivities of paclitaxel analogs with a cyclopropanated side-chain

Abstract Four paclitaxel analogs with a cyclopropanated side-chain were synthesized by coupling of the spirocyclopropanated oxazoline-5-carboxylic acid 4 with 7-TES-baccatin III, followed by hydrolytic ring opening and rearrangement. The absolute configuration of the 2′-position was determined by NMR analysis of the corresponding Mosher esters. The two new paclitaxel analogs with the R configuration at C-2′ were both active in the A2780 mammalian cell line cytotoxicity assay, but much less than paclitaxel itself.