AN APPROACH TO THE OXO-, EPOXY- AND HYDROXY- DERIVATIVES OF 2E-BENZYLIDENE-24-NOR-ALLOBETULIN Liana Marselevna Zakirova 1 , Irina Petrovna Baikova 1 1 Ufa Institute of Chemistry of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, 450054, Prospekt Oktyabrya, 71, Russian Federation; e-mail: liana.zakirova@gmail.com Allobetulin is a natural origin oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid being a part of
the extractive substances of birch bark. Allobetulin and its derivatives are potent
bioactive triterpenes with a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as cytotoxic,
antiviral, antifeedant, immunotropic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory combined
with low toxicity [1].
We have modified 3-oxo-24-nor-allobetulin with obtaining 3β-hydroxy-, oxime-,
methoxyoxime- and lactame- derivatives. The screening of α-glucosidase inhibitory
activity has shown that 24-nor-allobetulins are more active than allobetulins [2].
Reactions and conditions: (a) 4-bromobenzaldehyde, 40% KOH/EtOH, EtOH, r.t., 24
h.; (b) 40% KOH/EtOH, EtOH, r.t., 24 h.
Making the Claisen-Schmidt reaction of 3-oxo-24-nor-allobetulin
1 with 4-
bromobenzaldehyde for several times we have noticed that depending on the reaction
time two byproducts
3 (32 %)
and
4 (19 %)
were formed among the expected 2
E -
p -
bromobenzylidene derivative
2 with the yield of 49%
. When compound
2 was kept in a
40% solution of KOH/EtOH without the addition of aldehyde, we observed the
formation of a mixture of compounds
3 and