Structures of Torokonine and Gomandonine, Two New Diterpene Alkaloids from Aconitum Subcuneatum Nakai

Abstract

Chemical investigation of the roots of Aconiturn subcuneaturn Nakai resulted in the isolation of two new diterpene alkaloids torokonine (1) and gomandonine (2), along with eight known compounds, i.e. mesaconitine, jesaconitine, 14-dehydrobrowniine, neoline, 15-α-hydroxyneoline, isotalatizidine, senbusine A, and virescenine. The structure and the absolute configuration of torokonine (1) were established as 7-α-hydroxyryosenamine from the spectroscopic analysis. The novel structure of gomandonine (2), having an epoxy ring, was initially deduced by the pyridine-induced solvent shift technique and then confirmed by X-ray analysis. © 1987, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.