Antifeedant C20 diterpene alkaloids

Abstract

We have tested the insect antifeedant and toxic activity of 21 C 20 diterpenoid alkaloids on Spodoptera littoralis and Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The antifeedant effects of the test compounds were structure- and species-dependent. The most active antifeedants to L. decemlineata and S. littoralis were the rearranged form of hetisine (20; EC50=1.7 μg/cm2) and 19-oxodihydroatisine (9; EC50=0.1 μg/cm2), resp. Glandulosine (8) moderately affected orally injected S. littoralis larvae. A few compounds (13-oxocardiopetamine (4), 9, and atisinium chloride (13)) had cytotoxic effects to insect-derived Sf 9 cells with varying degrees of selectivity with respect to mammalian CHO cells. Compounds 4 and 15,22-O-diacetyl-19-oxodihydroatisine (10) increased Trypanosoma cruzi mortality. Our results support the plant protective role of C20 diterpenoid alkaloids and open a new field for parasite control strategies. © 2004 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.